03/03Result
19th Match (N), Pakistan Super League at Rawalpindi, Mar 3 2023
United won by 6 wkts (4b rem)
Player of the Match
Azam KhanIslamabad United
03/03Result
19th Match (N), Pakistan Super League at Rawalpindi, Mar 3 2023
United won by 6 wkts (4b rem)
Player of the Match
Azam KhanIslamabad United

10.40 pm So Karachi Kings' playoff hopes are basically kaput. Islamabad needed 121 off 10 overs and got there with four balls to spare.

Karachi Kings captain Imad Wasim: "I think 200 is a very good score but Azam played very well and he took the game away from us. Our bowling for the last five or six games has not been happening. Sometimes you have to give credit to other batsmen. Azam played really well and hit it all around the ground. But the death bowling needed to be better. We just have to sit and talk again. We didn't execute our plans. I'm upset and sad but this is cricket. Life goes on."

Azhar Mahmood, head coach Islamabad United: "Absolutely brilliant knock from Azam Khan. He didn't hit a boundary for four overs but he waited to get his chances and picked the right balls. Our fielding was really good and I'm really proud of the guys. Hasan Ali with that effort on the boundary, efforts like that can win you games. [On Azam] He's a phenomenal talent. It's the game awareness. Management, we always give him confidence in this dressing room and he's well looked after. But it doesn't matter how much confidence you give someone, you have to go and prove it on the pitch. Back-to-back games he's performed really well for us. We said at the innings break, give yourselves a chance. The last few games, we didn't give ourselves a chance. We spent a couple of hours having a meeting with the boys and I think they responded really well to that. On a pitch like this, the ball flies so it can be tough to restrict under 200 but when we came off, the boys felt like it was a par score. I'm really proud of the team."

Hadi: "Imad must now be feeling what being in the shoes of Babar Azam feels like. Being captain, almost performing single handedly and keep losing. "

Unsurprisingly, Azam Khan is named Player of the Match: "It's all about practice and whenever I play back in Karachi in club games, I try to stay calm there and it helps keep me calm in the professional games as well. [On the partnership with Faheem] I told him to give me singles to put me on strike for Tabraiz and I can take him down."

Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan: "It was a typical Pindi pitch and it's very hard to contain on these pitches but I had no doubt knowing the caliber of our players. [On Azam Khan] Our dressing room always stayed calm because you can't control from the outside. Azam is in great form, especially against the spin bowlers. After the strategic timeout, he said, 'I will try to kill him in this over.' And he went out and did it. We wanted to play fearless cricket. You can have failure as well but we accept failures. We can get all out for 90 but you have to play smart with a fearless approach and we will play like that. [On sending Faheem in ahead of Shadab] I play spin well, but we wanted a left-hander there and he has been in good form."

That's it for today's match coverage. Come back tomorrow for more PSL action. Until then, I'm Peter Della Penna. Take care!

19.2
4
Aamer Yamin to Asif Ali, FOUR, length ball on middle, heaves this over mid-on up in the ring to seal a six-wicket win with four balls to spare.

Azam bows to Asif in praise of that shot.

19.1
6
Aamer Yamin to Asif Ali, SIX, what a way to get off the mark! Full on the stumps, whipped away high and deep over midwicket.

Asif Ali will arrive on strike.

END OF OVER:
19 | 11 Runs 1 Wkt | IU: 194/4 (8 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 10.21, RRR: 8.00)

  • Azam Khan72 (41b)
  • Andrew Tye4-0-42-0
  • Mohammad Amir4-0-40-1
18.6
W
Tye to Faheem Ashraf, 1 run, OUT, short and wide, slices this over backward point for what should be two. Azam wants the strike but perhaps forgot it's the last ball of the over as Faheem was busting it for two. Azam turns for two late, then changes his mind with Faheem nearly back at the striker's end. Faheem wisely and unselfishly sacrifices himself as the throw comes to the keeper but Rossington still has plenty of time to underhand to Tye who calmly takes the bails off at the bowler's end.

Faheem Ashraf run out 41 (74m 32b 1x4 2x6) SR: 128.12

18.5
0
Tye to Faheem Ashraf, no run, wide yorker, plays over the top of this on seventh stump through to the keeper.
18.4
2
Tye to Faheem Ashraf, 2 runs, full and wide, sliced away through cover, sliding stop on the rope saves two.
18.3
6
Tye to Faheem Ashraf, SIX, knee high full toss on the legs, flicked with nonchalance over the deep backward square leg rope into the crowd.

Shoaib is back on his feet after a lengthy delay.

18.2
2
Tye to Faheem Ashraf, 2 runs, dropped! And a collision between Shoaib and Wade running across each other from long-on and long-off! Low full toss on fourth stump, skies this drive over mid-off. Wade was running backward from the ring at mid-off, Shoaib running to his right from long-on. Wade gets fingertips to this and Shoaib pulled out too late. Wade's body was going to the turf and his head takes out Shoaib's knees. Shoaib is still down on the ground and needs medical attention.
18.1
0
Tye to Faheem Ashraf, no run, full and wide yorker, plays over the top of this.

Tye to bowl the 19th.

END OF OVER:
18 | 12 Runs | IU: 183/3 (19 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 10.16, RRR: 9.50)

  • Azam Khan72 (41b)
  • Faheem Ashraf30 (26b)
  • Mohammad Amir4-0-40-1
  • Andrew Tye3-0-31-0
17.6
4
Mohammad Amir to Azam Khan, FOUR, full on leg stump, backs away from leg stump and flays this high and wide over backward point to the rope.
17.5
0
Mohammad Amir to Azam Khan, no run, low full toss wide outside off, goes to heave and misses.
17.5
1w
Mohammad Amir to Azam Khan, 1 wide, wide yorker outside off stump, left alone and wide called.
17.4
1
Mohammad Amir to Faheem Ashraf, 1 run, length ball on the stumps, skies a pull over midwicket and it lands in no man's land for one.
17.3
1lb
Mohammad Amir to Azam Khan, 1 leg bye, yorker full near leg stump, misses a flick and another huge lbw shout is denied. Amir is desperate for a review oblivious to the fact that he already wasted both himself. But regardless it pitched three inches outside leg stump.
17.3
1w
Mohammad Amir to Azam Khan, 1 wide, wide yorker sprayed outside off, left alone and wide called.
17.2
4lb
Mohammad Amir to Azam Khan, 4 leg byes, yorker on middle and off, Azam plays an extremely awkward shot across the line and it sounded like two noises, possible inside edge onto the pad rather than pad on pad. Otherwise it looked very tight in front of the stumps. Michael Gough gives the lbw shout not out. Amir has convinced Imad into using their last review. There was no bat on this, but Azam shuffled outside off stump, the ball hit him outside off and was missing off stump by some distance. Amir has burned both reviews.

Amir with more wincing and stretching after his first ball of the over.

17.1
0
Mohammad Amir to Azam Khan, no run, bouncer over the stumps, beats Azam's pull.

Amir back for his final over.

END OF OVER:
17 | 11 Runs | IU: 171/3 (31 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 10.05, RRR: 10.33)

  • Azam Khan68 (36b)
  • Faheem Ashraf29 (25b)
  • Andrew Tye3-0-31-0
  • Tabraiz Shamsi4-0-40-1

Just 31 needed off 18 now. Karachi Kings already slim playoff chances entering today are now on very thin ice. Long chat between Imad, Shoaib, Wade and Aamer.

16.6
1
Tye to Azam Khan, 1 run, wide yorker, jammed out through the off side for one.
16.5
4
Tye to Azam Khan, FOUR, length ball on the legs, pulled to deep backward square leg and beats the boundary rider to the rope. Century partnership comes up off 61 balls.
16.5
1w
Tye to Azam Khan, 1 wide, length ball passes a foot outside the guidelines, wide called. Azam shuffled across off stump but not far enough to be within range to still be able to play a shot.
16.4
0
Tye to Azam Khan, no run, bouncer on fifth stump, Azam misses a pull and wants to know why no wide is called.
16.3
0
Tye to Azam Khan, no run, length ball just inside the wide guidelines outside off stump, Azam backed away from leg to go over the off side but took himself out of reach to play a shot and it's left alone.
16.2
4
Tye to Azam Khan, FOUR, goes for yorker but misfires on the legs as a shin high full toss swept past fine leg to the rope.

United 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st12C MunroAD Hales
2nd50AD HalesHE van der Dussen
3rd7HE van der DussenFaheem Ashraf
4th125Faheem AshrafAzam Khan
5th10Asif AliAzam Khan

Pakistan Super League

TeamMWLPTNRR
LQ1073140.915
MS1064120.5
IU106412-0.708
PZ105510-0.452
KK103760.756
QG10376-1.066