Hyderabad Kingsmen registered back-to-back wins in consecutive days as they got over the line in a 154-run chase against Islamabad United here at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Sunday night.
Following four consecutive defeats the Kingsmen have turned the tables bagging four points and going up to number six on the points table above Lahore Qalandars based on better net run rate. On Monday, table toppers and unbeaten Peshawar Zalmi will be up against second-placed Multan Sultans.
Kingsmen chased the 154-run target with 11 balls to spare as skipper Marnus Labuschagne remained unbeaten on 61 off 53 balls hitting six fours. He shared an unbeaten blazing 22-ball 42-run stand with fellow countryman Glenn Maxwell, who chipped in a magnificent cameo of 21 not out off nine balls striking two sixes and the match-sealing four.
Maxwell also became the third Australia batter after David Warner and Aaron Finch to reach 11,000 T20 runs milestone when he hit Imad Wasim for two sixes in the 17th over.
Labuschagne and Maxwell joined forces when stand-in United skipper Chris Green delivered a three-run 15th over removing Kusal Perera as Kingsmen required 39 off 32 balls, which they scored in 21 eventually.
At the start of the chase Maaz Sadaqat went berserk in the opening over ransacking 20 runs off it, striking two fours and as many sixes in it. Sadaqat fell to Green in fifth over for a rapid 30 off 16 with Kingsmen collecting 56 runs off the powerplay.
Saim Ayub and Labuschagne kept the United bowlers wicketless for 50 balls as the duo picked up 60 runs for the second wicket. Islamabad United picked three for five across 10 balls in 14th and 15th overs combined to stage some sort of comeback but it was not to be.
Faheem Ashraf accounted for Saim and Usman Khan in a space of four balls, while Green took out Perera in the 15th over with Faheem taking a juggling catch at mid-on.
Hyderabad Kingsmen earlier opted to bowl first and the Islamabad United innings unfolded in two halves, with the latter owing to Kingsmen’s brilliance with the ball. HBL PSL debutant Asif Mehmood bagged four wickets in the last over of the innings to end up with 4-18 – the second-best bowling figures on debut in the league.
Devon Conway (45, 31b, 7x4s) and Sameer Minhas (22, 13b, 3x4s, 1×6) put on a 56-run opening stand in 5.5 overs with 28 of them coming in the opening two overs. Mohammad Ali picked up his first of two wickets by castling Sameer.
Mohammad Faiq (18, 14b, 1×6) and Conway shared a 31-run stand after which Kingsmen made a stunning comeback with two run outs in the 10th over.
Faiq was run out by a strong throw from deep midwicket by Muhammad Irfan Khan, while Hunain’s throw a ball later accounted for Conway with wicketkeeper Usman Khan fumbling the throw but recovering just in time for the dismissal as United were 89-3 at halfway mark.
United were squeezed by the Kingsmen’s disciplined bowling where they were not able to score a single boundary across 50 balls from 7.6 over mark to 16.1 losing four wickets. Mark Chapman’s 30-ball 42 after walking in to bat at 87-2 in 9.3 overs helped United go past the 150-run mark.
Chapman hit Hunain for a six and four each in the 17th and the 19th overs to collect three fours and four sixes overall in his outing. Asif’s last over only yielded three runs and gave four wickets. Ali picked up two wickets.
Scores in brief
Hyderabad Kingsmen beat Islamabad United by six wickets at National Bank Stadium, Karachi
Islamabad United 153-9, 20 overs (Devon Conway 45, Mark Chapman 42, Sameer Minhas 22; Asif Mehmood 4-18, Mohammad Ali 2-26)
Hyderabad Kingsmen 157-4, 18.1 overs (Marnus Labuschagne 61 not out, Saim Ayub 35, Maaz Sadaqat 30, Glenn Maxwell 21 not out, Chris Green 2-19, Faheem Ashraf 2-33)
Player of the match – Marnus Labuschagne (Hyderabad Kingsmen)
Monday’s fixture: Peshawar Zalmi v Multan Sultans at National Bank Stadium, Karachi; 7pm PKT
