Kingsmen Register Second Straight Win with Dominant All-Round Display

KARACHI: A brilliant four-wicket spell from Asif Mehmood and a composed unbeaten fifty by skipper Marnus Labuschagne guided Hyderabad Kingsmen to a convincing six-wicket win over Islamabad United in the 21st fixture of Pakistan Super League Season 11 at the National Bank Stadium on Sunday.

This win marked Hyderabad’s second in a row, coming after a difficult start to their campaign where they had suffered four straight defeats, before turning things around with back-to-back victories, including one against Karachi Kings.

Chasing a target of 154, the Kingsmen made light work of the total, reaching it with four wickets down and nearly two overs remaining.

Leading from the front, Labuschagne anchored the innings with a steady 61 not out off 53 balls, striking six boundaries. He was well supported by Maaz Sadaqat and Saim Ayub, who added 30 and 35 respectively to keep the chase on track.

Towards the end, Glenn Maxwell provided the finishing touches with a quickfire unbeaten 21 from just nine deliveries, ensuring there were no late hiccups.

For Islamabad, stand-in captain Chris Green and Faheem Ashraf picked up two wickets apiece but couldn’t prevent the defeat.

Earlier, opting to bowl first proved to be the right call by Labuschagne, as Islamabad were restricted to 153/9 in their 20 overs.

The innings began positively, with Sameer Minhas and Devon Conway putting together a 56-run opening stand before Minhas was dismissed late in the powerplay after a brisk 22 off 13 balls.

Conway then stitched a short partnership with Mohammad Faiq, but both batters were run out in the same over, leaving Islamabad struggling at 89/3. Conway top-scored with 45 off 31 balls, while Faiq contributed 18.

The middle order failed to capitalize, as Haider Ali and Faheem Ashraf fell cheaply, adding to the pressure.

Mark Chapman tried to stabilize the innings with a fighting 42 off 30 deliveries, but his dismissal in the final over triggered a collapse.

Asif Mehmood then ran through the lower order in the last over, removing Imad Wasim, Mehran Mumtaz and Chris Green to restrict Islamabad from finishing strongly.

Mehmood ended as the standout bowler with figures of 4 for 18, while Mohammad Ali claimed two wickets and Maxwell chipped in with one, sealing a dominant all-round performance for Hyderabad Kingsmen.