Twitter Reactions: Iftikhar Ahmed and Colin Munro’s blitzkrieg takes down Karachi Kings
Babar Azam's 81 and Najibullah Zadran's 71* went in vain.
Islamabad United have managed to strengthen their grip as the table-toppers in the 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) with their third win on the trot. On Monday, June 14, the Shadab Khan-led unit managed to beat the Karachi Kings by eight wickets at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. As far as the Kings are concerned, they are precariously placed at fourth in the table.
Babar and Najibullah make hay
The innings started on an auspicious note for Karachi Kings after being put in to bat first. Babar Azam and Sharjeel Khan notched 56 runs in the powerplay before Akif Javed found the latter’s outside edge on 25. Martin Guptill succumbed to yet another failure after he dragged one off Mohammad Wasim on to his stumps. Thereafter, Babar and Najibullah Zadran guided the Kings’ through.
The duo put on 117 runs for the fourth wicket off 66 balls. Babar notched his half-century off 41 balls after which he stepped on the gas to end on a 54-ball 81. Hasan Ali got rid of him in the penultimate over. Najibullah took his time early on but accelerated to bring up his fifty off 32 balls. He stayed unbeaten on a 42-ball 72 and took his team to a formidable score of 190 for four in 20 overs.
Munro and Iftikhar blaze away
The United got off to a sedate start as they scored 43 runs in the powerplay for the loss of two wickets. Usman Khawaja and Muhammad Akhlaq got out cheaply to Abbas Afridi and Waqas Maqsood respectively. From there on, Colin Munro and Iftikhar Ahmed took charge. They stitched a 150-run stand for the third wicket and helped the United chase down the target with eight balls left.
Even as Munro churned out an unbeaten 56-ball 88, Iftikhar hammered 71 off 39 to stay not out. The duo hit 17 fours and seven sixes in their stints. The Kings were lacklustre in the field as they dropped four catches. Imad Wasim dropped Iftikhar when he was on seven after which Thisara Perera let go a chance on 46. Maqsood dropped a sitter when Munro was batting on 34 off 31.
Here’s how the netizens reacted to Islamabad United’s win:
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