Karachi Kings were eliminated from the title race of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) seventh edition after their seventh consecutive defeat on Sunday, handed down to them by Islamabad United. The United defeated Kings by 1 run at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium in match 21 of the ongoing tournament, as Babar Azam’s etched their name in history by becoming the only team in PSL to lose seven consecutive matches.
The hopes of Karachi winning the match and remaining in the title race rose after Imad Wasim and Qasim Akram’s late 108-run cameo, but they also went down in the last over when Imad was dismissed by Waqas Maqsood. Karachi Kings’ top order could not give a good start to the team again in the fate-decider against Islamabad United.
Skipper Babar Azam got out to a quick and short delivery from young pacer Zeeshan Zameer. Sharjeel Khan scored a blistering 29-ball 44 runs, but Joe Clarke and Sahibzada Farhan failed to perform yet again. Karachi Kings’ all-rounders, Akram and Wasim, played exceptional knocks and scored 51 and 55 runs, respectively. However, it was not enough to win the game and keep Karachi Kings’ PSL campaign alive.
Liam Dawson and Waqas Maqsood were the stand-out bowlers for the United. Waqas took three wickets and gave away 34 runs, while Dawson was more economical as he took one wicket and gave away just 21 runs.
Earlier, Islamabad United handed a 192-run target for the loss of seven wickets to the Karachi Kings after being invited to bat first. It was an all-around performance from the Islamabad United’s batters as they all delivered with the bat after a slow start to the game.
Shadab Khan was the top scorer of Islamabad United as he scored 34 runs in 26 balls before getting bowled out by Imad Wasim. Asif Ali and Faheem Ashraf also scored blistering innings, Asif scored 28 while Faheem scored 29. Imad Wasim was the standout bowler for the Kings as he took two wickets at the expense of 30 runs in four overs.
The Babar Azam-led Karachi Kings are under extreme pressure as it’s a must-win game for them to keep their chances of play-offs alive. Squads: Karachi Kings team: Babar Azam (c), Sharjeel Khan, Joe Clarke, Jordan Thompson, Mohammad Nabi, Sahibzada Farhan, Qasim Akram, Imad Wasim, Chris Jordan, Umaid Asif, Mir Hamza.
Islamabad United team: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Alex Hales, Muhammad Akhlaq, Shadab Khan(c), Asif Ali, Azam Khan(w), Hasan Ali, Liam Dawson, Faheem Ashraf, Waqas Maqsood, Zeeshan Zameer.
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