By Haris Ahmad
LAHORE: Azam Khan blitzed his seventh HBL Pakistan Super League half-century to help Karachi Kings hunt down the 184-run target against Rawalpindiz here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Thursday night. Kings have now won three matches on the trot and sit atop the points table.
Apart from Azam’s 74, David Warner also chipped in with a 36-ball 50 before falling in the 16th over. Mohammad Abbas Afridi once again sealed the victory with a six as he did in last game against Lahore Qalandars. The HBL PSL 11 saw its third of the 12 double headers today with the next scheduled for Thursday, 9 April at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi.
Azam walked in at 70-2 in 8.3 overs and put on a valuable 76-run stand off 42 balls with Warner. The two kept the Rawalpindiz bowlers on their toes while they dropped Azam in the 15th, 16th and 18th over of the chase before Mohammad Amir finally dismissed him in the penultimate over. Following Warner’s dismissal at the hands of Daryl Mitchell on the second ball of 16th over, Karachi Kings required 50 off 28 balls.
At this juncture, Naseem Shah had to pull out of his over – the 17th of the innings – after two balls and Cole McConchie’s four balls yielded 17 runs with Azam hitting him for one four and two sixes to bring the equation down to 26 needed off last three.
Azam’s 42-run stand with Khushdil Shah (5 not out, 7b) off just 18 balls proved to be decisive towards the end as Kings almost won the game. Kings required five off the last over and following Mitchell’s third strike of the night to remove Moeen Ali, Abbas walked in and slammed a six over long on to take his tally of runs in the tournament to 16 not out off just three balls.
Earlier, Naseem had provided Rawalpindiz with the opening breakthrough dismissing Muhammad Waseem (23, 11b, 2x4s, 2x6s) in the third over. Warner, who hit six fours and one six in his outing, then stitched a 34-ball 43-run stand with Salman Ali Agha (29, 24b, 3x4s, 1×6) as Kings scored 52 runs in the powerplay.
At the halfway mark, Warner and Azam’s stand stood at 11 off nine balls with Kings requiring 11.7 runs an over, which they chased with four balls to spare. Mitchell took three for 32 came in 3.2 overs, while Naseem and Amir were the other two wicket-takers for Mohammad Rizwan’s side.
At the start, after opting to bat first, Rawalpindiz lost Rizwan (21, 13b, 4x4s) to Hasan Ali in third over, Yasir Khan (8, 8b, 1×4) and Kamran Ghulam (10, 11b, 2x4s) to Khushdil in fourth and seventh over, respectively with 55 runs on the board.
Mitchell (65, 41b, 5x4s, 3x6s) and Sam Billings (58, 35b, 8x4s, 1×6) put on a 120-run stand to take Rawalpindiz out of trouble as the duo struck a flurry of boundaries.
Following a 76-run blitzkrieg for five overs from 13th to 17th by Mitchell and Billings, Karachi Kings managed to end the innings well giving away only 23 runs for three wickets in last 18 balls. Abdullah Fazal remained unbeaten for 18 off seven balls on the back of one four and two sixes.
Hasan Ali (133) picked up 3-24 in his four overs to create a six-wicket distance from Shaheen Shah Afridi (127) on the all-time HBL PSL wicket-takers ladder. Khushdil, who had castled Yasir and Kamran gave away 37 runs in his four, while Mir Hamza removed Mitchell for his solitary scalp.
Match 10: Karachi Kings beat Rawalpindiz by five wickets at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Rawalpindiz 197-6, 20 overs (Daryl Mitchell 65, Sam Billings 58, Mohammad Rizwan 21; Hasan Ali 3-24, Khushdil Shah 2-37)
Karachi Kings 199-5, 19.2 overs (Azam Khan 74, David Warner 50, Salman Ali Agha 29, Muhammad Waseem 23; Daryl Mitchell 3-32)
Player of the match – Azam Khan (Karachi Kings)
Friday’s fixture:
Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore; 7.30pm PKT
Edited by Sumayyah Ahmad
Editor/Reporter
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