KARACHI: Even with arguably a bigger crowd to back them here at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi Kings were a picture of disappointment on Sunday night. Islamabad United, in contrast, embodied consistency.

The title holders were clinical as they thrashed the hosts by six wickets with 17 balls to spare — their fourth win in as many games of this HBL Pakistan Super League season.

The Kings, meanwhile, are proving to be mercurial this year, continuing their pattern of winning a game before losing one.

On what seemed to be a difficult batting wicket, Kings posted a paltry 128-7 before United skipper Shadab Khan and Azam Khan, hardly feeling challenged, got together for a match-winning partnership.

The Kings, earlier, had looked clueless.

Put into bat first, they struggled their way to 41-2 in the powerplay, which saw them lose skipper David Warner and in-form batter James Vince to unplayable deliveries by pacers Naseem Shah and Jason Holder, respectively, both of whom hit top of the off-stump.

Eight of the meagre powerplay score came off two boundaries from number-four batter Saad Baig — playing his first match this season. Meanwhile, Tim Seifert, who survived the dangerous opening spell by the United bowlers added just one boundary.

Saad (20 off 17, four fours) looked promising, carving Mohammad Shahzad’s pace past point and fine-leg for two more boundaries, but miscued United captain Shadab to Shahzad at backward point in the 10th over, as the scoreboard read 63-3 at halfway stage.

Siefert (30 off 37) who had been unsuccessfully trying to bring his power-hitting capabilities on a slow surface, eventually became the fourth Kings casualty, pushing an Imad Wasim (1-17) delivery back into the spinner’s hands in the 13th over.

It was then Shadab’s (2-17) turn to take a wicket, as the leg-spinner produced a beautiful googly to trap Irfan Khan in the 16th over before Naseem bounced Khushdil Shah to a caught-behind dismissal as Karachi reeled at 94-6 by the end of the 17th over.

Aamer Jamal followed suit — dismissed by Holder — after helping Kings cross the 100-run mark in the next over with a cut for four.

The first couple of sixes of the innings came in the penultimate over, as Abbas Afridi went deep in his crease to dispatch Naseem (2-29) for two maximums straight down the ground.

Abbas (24 off nine, three sixes and a four) seemed to have ruled the pitch out of the equation, taking Holder (2-39) to the cleaners with another towering six over long-off and powerfully slapping the fast bowler for a four through midwicket to give Kings’ innings a good finish.

Chasing the moderate total, United carefully posted 48-2 in the first six overs with in-form opener Farhan (30 off 18, five fours and six) giving them a decent start before departing early.

The right-hander, coming to the match at the back of a century and a fifty, creamed in-form pacer Hasan Ali for three consecutive boundaries in the second over before whacking Mir Hamza, Hasan’s attack partner, got another and a six in the next over.

But Hasan returned in the fifth over to get Farhan’s prize wicket, with the batter skying in an attempt to play a lofted shot again, only for Warner to take a catch running backward from mid-off.

The fast bowler struck again four balls later, bamboozling Colin Munro with a sharp in-swinger to destroy the left-hander’s stumps. United were now 38-2.

At this stage, Shadab joined Azam in the middle as the duo gradually developed a partnership which eventually became a match-winning one.

Azam launched Abbas for a huge six over midwicket and smashed the right-armer straight for a four to wrap up the first six overs.

The required run-rate was already under six by that point, with both Shadab and Azam Khan having all the time in the world to take United towards the finish line.

Shadab smacked pacer Aamer Jamal straight down the ground for another four as the team reached 75-2 in 10 overs.

Shadab hit his first six in the 12th, planting his front foot to loft Khushdil over the bowler’s head. The right-hander cultivated a brilliant stroke off Aamer in the next over, clearing extra-cover for six more.

Four balls later, just after United had brought up their 100, Kings all-rounder Mohammad Nabi cleaned up Azam (31 off 30, three fours and a six) to mark an end to the 65-run partnership between him and Shadab, which came off 52 balls.

Shadab added three more boundaries to reach 47 off 40 (five fours and two sixes) and just when the scores were tied he was clean bowled by Abbas before Nawaz took United over the line.

SCOREBOARD

KARACHI KINGS:

Tim Seifert c & b Imad 30

David Warner b Naseem 3

James Vince b Holder 4

Saad Baig c Shahzad b Shadab 20

Khushdil Shah c Azam b Naseem 17

Irfan Khan lbw b Shadab 5

Mohammad Nabi not out 7

Aamer Jamal c Imad b Holder 7

Abbas Afridi not out 24

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-10) 11

TOTAL (for seven wickets, 20 overs) 128

DID NOT BAT: Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-5 (Warner), 2-22 (Vince), 3-61 (Saad), 4-71 (Seifert), 5-89 (Irfan), 6-93 (Khushdil), 7-102 (Aamer)

BOWLING: Dwarshuis 2-0-8-0, Naseem 4-0-29-2 (4w), Holder 4-0-39-2 (1w), Imad 4-0-17-1, Shahzad 1-0-9-0, Shadab 4-0-17-2, Nawaz 1-0-8-0 (1w)

ISLAMABAD UNITED:

Sahibzada Farhan c Warner b Hasan 30

Azam Khan b Nabi 31

Colin Munro b Hasan 4

Shadab Khan b Abbas 47

Mohammad Nawaz not out 8

Mohammad Shahzad not out 0

EXTRAS (B-4, NB-1, W-4) 9

TOTAL (for four wickets, 17.1 overs) 129

DID NOT BAT: Haider Ali, Jason Holder, Imad Wasim, Ben Dwarshuis, Naseem Shah

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-34 (Farhan), 2-38 (Munro), 3-103 (Azam), 4-128 (Shadab)

BOWLING: Hamza 3-0-24-0, Hasan 4-0-28-2, Abbas 3-0-24-1 (1w, 1nb), Khushdil 3-0-20-0, Aamer 2-0-17-0 (1w), Nabi 2.1-0-12-1 (1w)

RESULT: Islamabad United won by six wickets.

PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Shadab Khan

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2025