Cricket News By TODAYLIVESCORE.INFO - All-round Shadab shines again as Kings slip to fifth straight defeat. Shadab made a vital 34 with the bat before claiming 4/15 with the ball to derail Kings' chase.
Shadab made a vital 34 with the bat before claiming 4/15 with the ball to derail Kings' chase.
Karachi Kings had come into this fixture with four losses in four games and were desperate to make a turnaround in the PSL 2022. They had even done well to keep Islamabad United to a par score of 177 on that wicket when it looked at one stage they would get above 200. Yet, the Kings slipped to their fifth straight loss as they ended up 42 runs short in Karachi on Sunday (February 6) after they kept to 135/9.
The trend of teams batting first going on to win the game in the last seven games continued as Karachi Kings failed to chase down the set target. Sahibzada Farhan chipped in with 25, but it was a late counterattack of Mohammad Nabi who remained unbeaten on 47 off 28 balls that prevented them from getting bowled out. The Kings failed to get any sort of momentum going for them in the chase after having lost wickets at regular intervals. At 58/4 at the halfway stage, it was impossible for the Kings to forge any sort of partnerships that are vital in a big chase as Shadab Khan once again put up an all-around performance. With four wickets in his four for just 15 runs, adding to his cameo of a 19-ball 34, the skipper led his side to their third win in five games.
Unite themselves didn't have one standout score from their batsmen. As many as four batsmen got into their 30s, but failed to carry on from there. Paul Stirling top-scoring with 39 with the next three getting scores of 30, 33 and 34. Yet, it was enough for them to put on a score of 170-plus which proved more than enough on the night. Everyone got starts but Colin Munro (33 off 33) especially struggled for timing, as the Kings pulled things back after the powerplay. Shadab fell at the wrong time after a quickfire knock as they ended up with a total shorter than they would've got. However, it was enough for them to climb to six points, tied with second-spot Lahore Qalandars.
Brief scores: Islamabad United 177/6 in 20 overs (Paul Striling 39, Alex Hales 30, Colin Munro 33, Shadab Khan 34; Chris Jordan 2-36) beat Karachi Kings (Sahibzada Farhan 25, Mohammad Nabi 47; Shadab Khan 4-15) by 42 runs.
