RAWALPINDI: Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has criticized Islamabad United for not adequately utilizing their talents, citing pacer Naseem Shah in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine.
United has won two of the five games played, although there have been flaws in their strategies that have cost them games.
United tried to limit the Karachi Kings in their game on Wednesday, but they easily scored 164 on a slow pitch. Imad Wasim completed his overs, but skipper Shadab Khan and Agha Salman did not.
“They are not making the best use of their resources in the bowling department. They do not know where or how to use Naseem. They gave the last over to a teenager [Hunain Shah], who scored heavily,” Misbah told a local sports channel.
“The spinners are not bowling their overs completely on a pitch where it is assisting them,” he went on to say.
Misbah emphasized that these decisions might haunt individuals in critical circumstances.
“At one stage, 140 was looking par but still they managed to score 165 which was covered by their openers in batting but these things can haunt Islamabad United in important matches,” he went on to say.
It should be emphasized that the credit for Islamabad’s success goes to the opening duo of Colin Munro and Alex Hales, who totally destroyed Karachi’s bowling attack. For the first wicket, the two combined for 108 runs off 69 balls.
Hales scored 47 off 35 balls, including seven fours, at a strike rate of 134.3. Munro was in demolition mode, scoring 82 off 47 balls, including four sixes and eight fours.
Karachi tried to pull things back by bowling economical overs but Islamabad slowly brought down the mark in the 19th over courtesy of Agha Salman (25*) and Shadab Khan (10*).
For Karachi, Hasan Ali, Tabraiz Shamsi and Mohammad Nawaz shared a wicket each.
Meanwhile, Kieron Pollard and Mohammad Irfan Khan led the Karachi Kings back into contention, powering them to a dangerous total. After being called in to bat first, the Kings scored a score of 165/5, owing to Pollard and Irfan’s unbeaten sixth wicket partnership.
The hosts were struggling at 89/5 after 13.1 overs, but Pollard rescued Kings with an unbeaten 28-ball 48 that included two boundaries and a six. Irfan, in a supporting position, made 27 not out of 22 deliveries, including four boundaries.
