10.40 pm So Karachi Kings' playoff hopes are basically kaput. Islamabad needed 121 off 10 overs and got there with four balls to spare.
Karachi Kings captain Imad Wasim: "I think 200 is a very good score but Azam played very well and he took the game away from us. Our bowling for the last five or six games has not been happening. Sometimes you have to give credit to other batsmen. Azam played really well and hit it all around the ground. But the death bowling needed to be better. We just have to sit and talk again. We didn't execute our plans. I'm upset and sad but this is cricket. Life goes on."
Azhar Mahmood, head coach Islamabad United: "Absolutely brilliant knock from Azam Khan. He didn't hit a boundary for four overs but he waited to get his chances and picked the right balls. Our fielding was really good and I'm really proud of the guys. Hasan Ali with that effort on the boundary, efforts like that can win you games. [On Azam] He's a phenomenal talent. It's the game awareness. Management, we always give him confidence in this dressing room and he's well looked after. But it doesn't matter how much confidence you give someone, you have to go and prove it on the pitch. Back-to-back games he's performed really well for us. We said at the innings break, give yourselves a chance. The last few games, we didn't give ourselves a chance. We spent a couple of hours having a meeting with the boys and I think they responded really well to that. On a pitch like this, the ball flies so it can be tough to restrict under 200 but when we came off, the boys felt like it was a par score. I'm really proud of the team."
Hadi: "Imad must now be feeling what being in the shoes of Babar Azam feels like. Being captain, almost performing single handedly and keep losing. "
Unsurprisingly, Azam Khan is named Player of the Match: "It's all about practice and whenever I play back in Karachi in club games, I try to stay calm there and it helps keep me calm in the professional games as well. [On the partnership with Faheem] I told him to give me singles to put me on strike for Tabraiz and I can take him down."
Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan: "It was a typical Pindi pitch and it's very hard to contain on these pitches but I had no doubt knowing the caliber of our players. [On Azam Khan] Our dressing room always stayed calm because you can't control from the outside. Azam is in great form, especially against the spin bowlers. After the strategic timeout, he said, 'I will try to kill him in this over.' And he went out and did it. We wanted to play fearless cricket. You can have failure as well but we accept failures. We can get all out for 90 but you have to play smart with a fearless approach and we will play like that. [On sending Faheem in ahead of Shadab] I play spin well, but we wanted a left-hander there and he has been in good form."
That's it for today's match coverage. Come back tomorrow for more PSL action. Until then, I'm Peter Della Penna. Take care!
Azam bows to Asif in praise of that shot.
Asif Ali will arrive on strike.
END OF OVER:19 | 11 Runs 1 Wkt | IU: 194/4 (8 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 10.21, RRR: 8.00)
- Azam Khan72 (41b)
- Andrew Tye4-0-42-0
- Mohammad Amir4-0-40-1
Faheem Ashraf run out 41 (74m 32b 1x4 2x6) SR: 128.12
Shoaib is back on his feet after a lengthy delay.
Tye to bowl the 19th.
END OF OVER:18 | 12 Runs | IU: 183/3 (19 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 10.16, RRR: 9.50)
- Azam Khan72 (41b)
- Faheem Ashraf30 (26b)
- Mohammad Amir4-0-40-1
- Andrew Tye3-0-31-0
Amir with more wincing and stretching after his first ball of the over.
Amir back for his final over.
END OF OVER:17 | 11 Runs | IU: 171/3 (31 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 10.05, RRR: 10.33)
- Azam Khan68 (36b)
- Faheem Ashraf29 (25b)
- Andrew Tye3-0-31-0
- Tabraiz Shamsi4-0-40-1
Just 31 needed off 18 now. Karachi Kings already slim playoff chances entering today are now on very thin ice. Long chat between Imad, Shoaib, Wade and Aamer.
