Twitter Reactions: Islamabad United start PSL 2023 campaign with dominant win over Karachi Kings

Haider Ali's 59 off 45 helped Karachi Kings post 173/8 while batting first.

By Sumeet Kavthale

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4 Min Read

Islamabad United
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Islamabad United. (Photo Source: ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Islamabad United started their Pakistan Super League 2023 (PSL) campaign with a confident win against Karachi Kings in the fourth match of the tournament on February 16. Karachi Kings posted a challenging total of 173/7 with Haider Ali top-scoring 59 off 45 while batting first. United struggled early in their chase but Colin Munro's 58 off 28 was enough for them to secure a big win.

Shadab Khan, who returned after a long lay-off won the toss and elected to field first at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi. Experienced left-arm pacer Rumman Raees bowled out James Vince for just four runs in the innings' first over to give United a flying start.

But Haider and Sharjeel Khan avoided further fall and put in a crucial 77-run partnership for the second wicket. In-from English pacer Tom Curran broke the partnership with Sharjeel's wicket in the 11th over and then the United bowlers controlled the rest of the innings. 

Haider managed to score a fifty but failed to stay in the middle till the end. He top-scored 59 off 45 before getting caught out on Faheem Ashraf's delivery in the 15th over. Shoaib Malik and Irfan Khan tried to add a few more runs but the United bowlers managed to restrict Kings to 173/7 in 20 overs. Raees, Curran, and Mohammad Wasim took two wickets each but Shadab failed to get any on his return to competitive cricket.

While chasing the tough target, United lost both their openers quickly. Mohammad Amir dismissed Hassan Nawaz in the innings' second over while Muhammad Musa removed the dangerous Paul Stirling at an individual score of just four runs. But the experienced duo of Rassie van der Dussen and Colin Munro pulled off a match-defining stand of 59 runs for the third wicket.

Rassie scored a crucial 31 off 25 before getting clean bowled by Imad Wasim's brilliant delivery in the 10th over. But Munro kept the scorecard moving with a remarkable fifty and dragged his team closer to the target with another crucial partnership with Azam Khan. 

Munro got run out by James Fuller while batting on 58 runs off just 28 balls in the 15th over and Azam Khan got caught out in the next over after a brilliant knock off 44 off 28. But that didn't trouble United who enjoyed a successful chase due to the depth in their batting line-up. Tom Curran scored the winning runs by smashing a six as United registered a four-wicket win with ten balls to spare.

Here is how Twitter is reacting to Islamabad United's win over Karachi Kings in PSL 2023, Match 4:

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PSL 2024Karachi KingsIslamabad UnitedColin MunroHaider Ali