Captain Shadab Khan was at his very best with the bat and the ball and played a starring role in United’s easy victory over the Kings in Match 14 of the Pakistan Super League on February 6.
Shadab contributed an important cameo of 34 off 19 deliveries in the first half to push United to a score of 177/6 before producing an outstanding spell that ended with him carrying figures of four for 15 off his four overs.
The 23-year-old added a vital innings with the bat that allowed United to put Kings under greater pressure heading into the second half and then ran through their middle and lower order with his sharp and skiddy wristspin bowling.
I don’t think a cricketer has ever been this good at both batting and bowling in a T20 tournament ever. Shadab Khan is🔥
— Haroon (@hazharoon) February 6, 2022
United made a solid start with the bat in the first half where their in-form top three produced critical thirties. Openers Paul Stirling (39) and Alex Hales (30) added 60 runs for the first wicket, before No.3 Colin Munro made a run-a-ball 33 at his end.
Later, Shadab’s aggressive innings grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck and helped United sail past the 170-mark, with wicketkeeper Azam Khan, too, producing a timely cameo (16 off seven balls).
Usman Shinwari (1/28), Umaid Asif (1/28) and Imad Wasim (1/22) all delivered miserly spells for Kings, who, however, lacked enough support and control at the other end to put the pressure on United.
In the second half, the Kings lost regular wickets and never got going in their quest to reach the 178-run target. While Shadab chipped away at the wickets column, United also had Faheem Ashraf (0/20), Waqas Maqsood (1/28) and Hasan Ali (1/26) bowling tight spells to make life extremely difficult for the opposition.
Among the rest of the bowling cast, the captain would’ve felt most pleased seeing an encouraging return to his best by Hasan, the team’s experienced speedster.
Kings had only one noteworthy contribution with the bat in the form of Mohammad Nabi, who played a fighting knock of 47* off 28 deliveries in a team total of 135.
Brief scores
Islamabad United 177/6 in 20 overs (Stirling 39, Khan 34; Jordan 2/36) beat Karachi Kings 135/9 in 20 overs (Nabi 47*; Khan 4/15, Ali 1/26) by 42 runs
