Published: Feb 07, 2016, 04:00 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 30, 2016, 08:10 PM (IST)
Hello and welcome to CricketCountry’s coverage of the match between Islamabad United and Karachi Kings in Match 6 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2016 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Both teams have very well balanced sides to contend with. Two influential Pakistan senior cricketers are captain of either side. Misbah-ul-Haq leads the Islamabad United outfit while Karachi Kings are headed by Shoaib Malik. So far the going has not been very good for Misbah’s team. They have played two games and suffered defeat in both despite the quality of players they possess. The likes of Shane Watson, Brad Haddin and Sam Billings are part of the team but they have still not managed to win a game.
Live Cricket Score Karachi Kings 130/9 in 20 overs | Batting: Ravi Bopara 32(19), Mohammad Aamer 5(4): Bopara waged a lone battle in the end but was left short of substantial company to help Karachi over the line. Usama Mir played second fiddle but not at a quick enough rate. Still credit to the Karachi lower order for running Islamabad incredibly close!
Live Cricket Score Karachi Kings 87/7 in 15 overs | Batting: Ravi Bopara 7(5): 46 needed off 30 balls does not seem that daunting a task but with only three wickets left and the pitch being on the slowish side it looks like this will not be Karachi’s game! Saeed Ajmal has been fantastic for Islamabad United with three wickets to his name already.
Live Cricket Score Karachi Kings 52/4 in 10 overs | Batting: Shakib Al Hasan 6(9), Iftikhar Ahmed 7(9): Karachi Kings in a really tough spot now. They have lost four wickets and after 10 overs have only scored 52 which means they need to score at over eight runs an over for victory with most of their batting line up in the hut. It’s looking very grim for Karachi.
Live Cricket Score Karachi Kings 24/2 in 5 overs | Batting: Imad Wasim 19(12), Shoaib Malik 2(4): Karachi Kings are only chasing 133 for a win but they are in hot water early! They have lost their openers and that is within a span of five overs. One wicket has fallen in a run out while Saeed Ajmal has removed the other! For Karachi it is key to build a big partnership even if it is a bit slowish. The two wickets to fall are Lendl Simmons and James Vince.
Live Cricket Score Islamabad United 132/8 in 20 overs | Batting: Mohammad Sami 20(9), Saeed Ajmal 0(0): That is certainly not a score worthy of intimidating an opposition worth its salt! Yes the track is a little slow and tricky but this is still a very small score. Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif got decent scores to their names but failed to make it count and the other batsmen did not even get to that stage. Karachi will be very confident about their chances. In the end some late hitting by Mohammad Sami helped them to a tad more respectable total.
Live Cricket Score Islamabad United 89/3 in 14 overs | Batting: Khalid Latif 39(34): The odds are scaled in favour of Karachi at this stage. However, Latif is playing a responsible knock at the other end. They will need him to bat till the end in a bid to get the score up to 150 or so. Karachi will be happy to restrict them to 130
Live Cricket Score Islamabad United 50/1 in 7 overs | Batting: Sharjeel Khan 20(17), Khalid Latif 15(11): Collapses have been a frequent sight this PSL and in quest to avoid a repeat of that Islamabad have taken a more measured approach. Shane Watson was dismissed early on for a 14-ball 13. Islamabad United will actually be quite pleased with the run rate they are going at the moment given the nature of the tournament so far.
Live Cricket Score Islamabad United 6/0 in 2 overs | Batting: Shane Watson 2(8), Sharjeel Khan 3(4): It’s a very slow and uncertain start for Islamabad United. Shane Watson and Sharjeel Khan have played Mohammad Aamer and Sohail Tanvir cautiously. Karachi will want to capitalise on the opportunity with early breakthroughs.
On the other hand Karachi Kings have a fifty-fifty record in the short span of the tournament so far. In the two games they have played they have won one and lost the other. They have some fine international talent in their ranks apart from the spectacular domestic cricketers. Shakib Al Hasan, who is one of the best all rounder on the world stage, is part of their team. Guys like Lendl Simmons, Sam Billings, Mohammad Aamer and Sohail Tanvir have also made a global name for themselves.
Bothe teams look rather at par on paper but Kings have a bit more momentum going for them and are built of more youthful talent. But experience can never be ruled out in T20 cricket and Islmabad have plenty of that. It should be an exhilarating contest.
