Sharjeel's century in vain as Islamabad trounce Karachi

At 13-2, chasing 196, things were not ideal for Islamabad United but a stunning knock from Alex Hales and invaluable innings from Iftikhar Ahmed and Hussain Talat helped Islamabad United trounce Karachi Kings by 5 wickets.

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The chase didn't start on a positive note as Islamabad lost Philip Salt and Shadab Khan for ducks. The initial stutter hardly had any impact on Alex Hales as he mauled the Karachi bowlers, racing to a blistering 46 of 21 deliveries. He was well supported by Faheem Ashraf (25 off 15) as the duo got Islamabad back on course, stitching a 69 run partnership in just 22 deliveries. The tides turned again and Hales and Ashraf were dismissed in successive overs, leaving Islamabad reeling at 82-4 in the 7th over.

The required rate was not an issue and Islamabad needed a steady partnership which they got in the form of Iftikhar Ahmed and Hussain Talat. The duo added 94 runs in 67 deliveries to get Islamabad into a winning position. Asif Ali gave the finishing touch to the chase with a quickfire 21 off 9 deliveries to hand Islamabad their second win of the PSL 2021. 

Earlier, Karachi Kings posted a solid 196-3 on back of a magnificent century by Sharjeel Khan. At one point, Khan was struggling at 7 off 18 deliveries but soon turned the tables to notch up his second PSL 100 in just 55 balls. Babar Azam also marked his return to form with a solid 62.