Hyderabad Kingsmen beat Islamabad United, Labuschagne shines

KARACHI: The Hyderabad Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne scored an unbeaten half-century as the side beat Islamabad by six wickets in the 21st match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi, on Sunday.

Earlier, Hyderabad Kingsmen restricted United to 153 after the debutants ensured a disciplined bowling effort here.

Captain Marnus Labuschagne’s decision to field first paid dividends as the three-time champions could accumulate 153-9 in their 20 overs.

The United side got off to a decent start in their innings as openers Sameer Minhas and Devon Conway put together 56 runs before Minhas was bowled by Mohammad Ali on the penultimate ball of the powerplay. Minhas played an aggressive knock, scoring 22 off just 13 balls, hitting three fours and one six.

Conway then added 31 runs for the second wicket with Mohammad Faiq, but both batters were run out in the 10th over, leaving United struggling at 89-3. The left-handed opener was the top scorer for United with 45 off 31 balls, including seven fours, while Faiq made 18 off 14 deliveries with one six.

United then lost two quick wickets as Haider Ali and Faheem Ashraf departed for 6 and 5 runs respectively, pushing the team further into trouble at 113-5 in 15.3 overs. Mark Chapman, who was holding one end during the middle-order collapse, also fell on the second ball of the final over after a fighting 42 off 30 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes.

In the final over, debutant Asif Mehmood caused major damage by taking three more wickets, Imad Wasim (2), Mehran Mumtaz (0), and Chris Green (6), stopping United from finishing strong.

Mehmood finished with an outstanding bowling performance of 4 wickets for just 18 runs in his four overs. Mohammad Ali took 2 wickets, while Glenn Maxwell picked up 1 wicket.

Earlier, the Kingsmen opted to field first after winning the toss against three-time champions Islamabad United in the 21st match of the PSL.

With the match being played here at the National Bank Stadium on Sunday, this is the first time both sides have faced each other in the history of the tournament.

Hyderabad Kingsmen

Saim Ayub, Maaz Sadaqat, Marnus Labuschagne (c), Usman Khan (wk), Kusal Perera, Glenn Maxwell, Irfan Khan Niazi, Hassan Khan, Hunain Shah, Asif Mehmood, and Mohammad Ali.

Islamabad United

Devon Conway (wk), Sameer Minhas, Mohammad Faiq, Mark Chapman, Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Chris Green (c), Richard Gleeson, Mehran Mumtaz, and Salman Irshad.