On March 7, 2023, Shadab Khan‘s Islamabad United won an imperative mid-table clash against the Karachi Kings, with the win helping them move to the second place in the points table. Shadab Khan and his men had a mediocre target of 151 to chase, and they did that with a fair amount of ease.
On that note, let us look at why Islamabad United won the match against Karachi Kings:
(1) Faheem Ashraf back to business
A lot in this format of the game depends on how a team’s all-rounders perform. They add so much balance to the side when they fire. Faheem Ashraf, who has been a vital contributor towards the success of Islamabad United over the years, finally turned up for them last night. As a result, he also won the Player Of The Match award.
Faheem Ashraf, who is the fifth leading wicket taker in the history of the league, grabbed two wickets in his spell against the Karachi Kings, and went for just 16 runs off his four overs. Despite having a rather quiet tournament with the ball so far, he seemed to have gained some rhythm last night, hitting the right lengths consistently.
The Karachi Kings skipper, Shan Masood, and the dangerous-looking Tim Seifert were both among Faheem Ashraf’s victims. Apart from the two wickets, he bowled 12 dots and kept building pressure from one end. The all-rounder also remained unbeaten with the bat for the second game in a row, and scored a handy 12 that took his side over the line.
(2) Sensible cricket from Shadab Khan and Agha Salman
Low scoring games and modest chases are often the trickiest in T20 cricket. They instill into the minds of the batters a sense of doubt and confusion with regard to how they should approach the chase. The batters need to fight the temptation to go after everything. Luckily for Islamabad United, the pair of Shadab Khan and Agha Salman did exactly that. The pair understood what the situation demanded and played accordingly.
Having lost two wickets in the powerplay, the pressure was always going to be on the batting side. Another quick wicket and Karachi Kings would have gotten an opening that they needed. However, Shadab Khan and Agha Salman calmed things down with what was potentially a game-winning partnership. The pair kept rotating strike to ensure that the runs kept coming, and stitched up a 58-run stand.
Shadab Khan scored 34 off 26, while Agha Salman played the anchor, scoring 33 off 30 balls. Although the pair could not finish the game off, they still put Islamabad United in a position from where only an extraordinary collapse could have lost them the game, and fortunately for them, there was no such collapse.
(3) A statement knock from Haider Ali
About three years back, many believed that they had found Pakistan’s next star batter. Looking at the potential Haider Ali possessed, it was certain that he was destined for success. Unfortunately for Pakistan and for Haider Ali, things went horribly wrong. The batter failed to be amongst the runs consistently. Sometimes he failed to get starts, and when he did, he failed to convert them into big scores.
Haider Ali was a platinum pick in the 2023 PSL edition, and this time around, he went unsold in the initial PSL draft for the 2024 season. Even though the world seemed to have counted him out, he showed against Shan Masood’s Karachi Kings why he still has it in him to make a comeback.
The 23-year old came in to bat with 40 runs needed in 34 deliveries. The equation may not seem too tough, but all things considered, Haider Ali simply had to take his side over if he was to prove a point to his critics. He scored a match-winning 26 off just 16 deliveries, including a mammoth 105-meter six off Hassan Ali’s bowling. The knock must have boosted Haider Ali’s confidence significantly, and his return to form is definitely an incredible sign for Pakistan cricket, and for Shadab Khan’s side.