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In an exhilarating Pakistan Super League (PSL) encounter on Thursday (March 7), Islamabad United's fast bowlers, Tymal Mills and Faheem Ashraf, delivered exceptional performances, dismantling Karachi Kings' top order, and steering their team to a crucial five-wicket victory.
The win propelled Islamabad United to the second spot in the league standings, amassing nine points. This leapfrogged them over both Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi, who are also contenders with nine points each, enhancing their playoff prospects. Karachi Kings, on the other hand, linger at six points, facing the imperative to clinch victories in their final two matches and rely on unfavorable outcomes for rival teams to advance.
Mills shines for Islamabad
Mills, marking his first appearance in this season's Rawalpindi leg, showcased his prowess by clinching three wickets for 34 runs. Ashraf complemented this effort by taking out the opening duo, Shan Masood for 10 and Tim Seifert for 26, through his astute bowling, which helped limit Karachi to a total of 150/7.
Islamabad United chased down the target with 151/5 in 18.4 overs, registering their fourth win of the season. Despite Karachi's Mir Hamza, a left-arm fast bowler, igniting some hope by dismissing key hitters Alex Hales and Colin Munro early in the game, Islamabad's captain Shadab Khan alongside Salman Ali Agha knitted a crucial 56-run partnership to bolster their chase. However, Islamabad encountered a hiccup, losing three wickets for just 18 runs shortly after.
Agha's dismissal to a catch by Seifert off Blessing Muzarabani's bowling and Azam Khan's straightforward return catch to leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood, followed by Shadab falling to Hamza's clever delivery, momentarily jeopardised Islamabad's chase. Nonetheless, Haider Ali and Ashraf remained unbeaten, scoring 26 and 12 respectively, to secure the win for Islamabad.
Shan Masood's poor run continues
Karachi Kings' struggles were exemplified by Masood's ongoing difficulty in his debut season as captain, managing only 134 runs across eight innings without hitting a fifty. Seifert and other batters struggled to up the ante against Islamabad's bowling attack. Meanwhile, Kieron Pollard and James Vince attempted to stabilise Karachi's innings with a 58-run partnership, with Pollard being the top scorer at 39 runs. However, Mills and Ashraf's strategic bowling in the death overs successfully restricted Karachi's run flow.
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