United end Kings’ PSL campaign, face Zalmi for place in final

E-Paper | October 02, 2026

United end Kings’ PSL campaign, face Zalmi for place in final

Dawn Sport Published February 20, 2016

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DUBAI: Islamabad United put up an all-round performance to beat Karachi Kings by nine wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

United’s top order fired with Dwayne Smith scoring 50* off 48 deliveries (seven fours and a six) in partnership with Brad Haddin, who scored a quickfire 52* off 29 deliveries (four fours and three sixes) to chase down 112.

United made 115-1 in 14.2 overs.

Sohail Khan was the only bowler for Kings to provide them with a breakthrough, dismissing Sharjeel Khan for nine.

With this win, United will now face Peshawar Zalmi in Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) 3rd Qualifying Final on February 21.

Smith, Haddin take on Kings’ bowlers

Earlier, the United bowlers kept their line and length in check to restrict Karachi Kings to 111-9. Mohammad Sami was the pick of bowlers for United with figures 4-0-8-5.

Sami, with his pace and swing, troubled Kings’ batsmen throughout his spell and dismissed Riki Wessels (one), Ravi Bopara (37), Ryan Ten Doeschate (16), Imad Wasim (six) and Usama Mir (zero).

After being four down for 39, Kings’ skipper Bopara tried to bring his team back into the contest by establishing a crucial 49-run stand for the fifth wicket with Doeschate, but in vain as batsmen coming down the order could not sustain the momentum.

Andre Russell took two wickets, whereas Mohammad Irfan and Samuel Badree also pitched in by claiming a wicket each.

Islamabad United had won the toss and decided to field first. They brought in Russell, Badree and Imran Khalid in place of Saeed Ajmal, Azhar Mahmood and Ashar Zaidi.

The Kings brought in Doeschate, Iftikhar, Imad and Mir Hamza.

United, led by Misbah-ul-Haq, were without hard-hitting Australian opening batsman Shane Watson. He was ruled out of the remainder of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) with abdominal injury on February 13.

Kings, on the other hand, faced a mountainous task under a new captain Ravi Bopara after Shoaib Malik stepped down from the role in a surprising move a day ago.

The Karachi side have had a poor campaign throughout the league, winning just two out of their eight matches, and only got through to the next round on a better head-to-head record against Lahore Qalandars.

Teams

Karachi Kings: Lendll Simmons, Riki Wessels (wicketkeeper), Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara (captain), Ryan Ten Doeschate, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Usama Mir, Sohail Khan and Mir Hamza.

Islamabad United: Sharjeel Khan, Dwayne Smith, Khalid Latif, Asif Ali, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Brad Haddin (wicketkeeper), Andre Russell, Imran Khalid, Samuel Badree, Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Sami.

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Rahim

Feb 20, 2016 08:04pm

It's going to be a great match. I would have loved to see Lahore Qalanders in the match instead of United but unfortunately it was not to be. I am supporting Quatta Gladiators and they did not disappoint me yesterday. Great tournament.

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Ali Nazeer

Feb 20, 2016 08:10pm

Great decision by Malik for stepping down before the big game. All the best to both teams.

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turanian

Feb 20, 2016 08:24pm

Go United!!

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Malik

Feb 20, 2016 08:38pm

Could someone explain the process. So United vs Kings will face off today. So the winner afterwards will face the finalist Gladiators or Zalmi ? Is it a semi final or what?.

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Shazad

Feb 20, 2016 08:56pm

@Malik Could someone explain the process. So United vs Kings will face off today. So the winner afterwards will face the finalist Gladiators or Zalmi ? Is it a semi final or what? ... Whoever lose today's game, Islamabad or Karachi, they would be out of tournament as No. 4. Winner of today's game (IU or KK) would play PZ. Loser of this match would be out of tournament as No. 3. Winner would be in final to play QG. Whoever lose Final would be No 2 (runner-up). Winner of final would be winner of the tournament (No 1).

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Khan- Pakistani

Feb 20, 2016 09:02pm

Karachi Kings all the way !

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Shahid

Feb 20, 2016 09:06pm

IT IS SO STRANGE that nobody, not even the media talks about it and even PCB is letting it go. A player goes to media after team's defeat and openly accuses his own team captain for making wrong decisions. I have never seen this in last 40 years since I started following cricket that such a player instead of being punished, is being made captain. And you know what, it does not at all matter that the issues he raised, were right or wrong. A franchise must adhere to the rules and moral norms of cricket in general and to the laws of the PCB in specific.

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joe

Feb 20, 2016 09:13pm

@Shahid Please grant any thing.. This is PSL.. Bigger drama are in store in IPL ,starting soon with all big names in cricket in world..

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Abdulla Hussain

Feb 20, 2016 09:55pm

It looks Karachi King will suffer worst defeat this evening. Since last 3 matches Bopara is only interested to uplift his performance, he is playing so slow that at times one feel he is playing a 5 day test match.

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Ammar

Feb 20, 2016 09:55pm

This is not a qualifying final. It's an eliminator. The winner plays Peshawar and that match's winner plays the final.

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Abdulla Hussain

Feb 20, 2016 09:58pm

Shoaib malik is finished, he better look for some other way of earning his livelihood. PCB should re think should inclusion in the t20 team, he wont come in form so soon.

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Khan- Pakistani

Feb 20, 2016 10:26pm

Gladiators and Zalmi will be again in Finals !

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Shazad

Feb 20, 2016 10:49pm

@Shahid: Think ! ... a team that is struggling to make runs, has 3 batsmen from Karachi in squad, one of them (Fawad) has highest average by any Pakistani batsmen ever in first class matches (Ave 57) as well as in List A matches (Ave 48), and has higher average in twenty20 matches (Ave 33 at SR over 121) higher than any player playing in KK, still this pathetic captain (Shoaib Malik) did not played him or any 3 batsmen KK has, and kept playing lowly players even when they are not performing game after game, so what can you say about such Captain full of biases?

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Aamir

Feb 20, 2016 10:49pm

Fawad Alam was overlooked against below average players.

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Free me

Feb 20, 2016 11:13pm

Sami should be in team.much better than rest.

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Abdulla Hussain

Feb 20, 2016 11:35pm

Come back by this evening flight, honeymoon is over. Qalander could have played better. Hype evaporated.

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Sarwar, USA.

Feb 20, 2016 11:45pm

Shoaib Malik should be thrown out of cricket for letting down his team as captain and player. Today he scored duck..

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Kamran

Feb 21, 2016 12:03am

internal rifts casted the match to K. Kings ...

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Jaffar

Feb 21, 2016 12:08am

None of the Pakistani batsmen scored in double digits!!!!!!

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Feb 21, 2016 12:09am

i agree with @shahzad and @aamir. And moreover today malik got a duck!! was it a coincidence? someone should check maliks' record in domestic T20 in 2005 sialkot vs karachi. how the match was thrown and he accepted it in press conference. He was later banned for a test match.

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Sherry

Feb 21, 2016 12:32am

Sami has put up a strong case for himself for the world T20.Sami was strangely not selected earlier even though he has consistently done well in the shorter format. Even his record in whatever ODIs he has played for Pakistan has been quite good.Having a pathetic show in the tests probably always goes against him but we all know that Pak selectors just doesn't have common sense to pick horses for courses. Being a right armer and a decent batsmanship skill should also add to his case. May the selectors for once show some sense.

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Shahid

Feb 21, 2016 12:40am

This PSL has big time exposed our batsmen and the selectors. Just look at Iftekhar, Imad Wasim, Afridi, Anwer Ali's batting performance. Mohammad Sami and Asghar both have been on top of their bowling for quite some time but you chose someone unknown like Raees. No one ever will know that what had Iftekhar done to earn a selection which Fawad Alam didn't.

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CRIC LOVER

Feb 21, 2016 12:41am

POOR performance by Karachi Kings throughout the tournament. Now will support for Quetta Gladiators as they are very exciting to watch.

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Feb 21, 2016 12:42am

@Shazad No maybe he's simply a bad captain. Your thinking too hard in all the wrong directions.

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Zarar

Feb 21, 2016 01:04am

@rahim Islamabad played better then ur loser Lahore team except it plz and keep ur wishes to urself in the future

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shabab

Feb 21, 2016 01:04am

Will PCB take notice of two big no balls by aizaz cheema?

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Sami Qureshi

Feb 21, 2016 01:06am

The same law applied here that no Karachiite would be the captain of the Karachi team.

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Feb 21, 2016 01:12am

I'm glad that a better team has won. Islamabad deserved it.

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Khan- Pakistani

Feb 21, 2016 01:44am

Very disappointed by Karachi Kings performance . The team of greatest city has failed before its supporters ! Dainted Amir proved a bad luck for the team especially the skipper Shoaib with all foreign players failed again and again !

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Ahmed Ali

Feb 21, 2016 01:47am

Karachi Kings was the worst team in the tournament. Just got lucky and somehow got to this stage. None of their batsmen were good. Even Bopara was a surprise success as his caliber is not that of other big names. No batters and now bowlers. What else would we have expected of this loser outfit.

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Zulfi

Feb 21, 2016 02:03am

This PSL has been neither too short nor too long. Hence it has been so entertaining and enjoyable to watch. We should either stick with the present system of 5 teams or have maybe one more team. Anything more than 6 teams will make the league tediously long & less competitive. Fewer teams ensures that players are switched on in every game as every game counts. with 5 teams, league games = 10, x2 =20 (as teams play each other twice) + 3 playoffs + Final = 24 games with 6 teams, total games = 34 Too many teams would spoil the fun, would make the league boringly long like the IPL which goes on and on. I believe teams playing each other twice is a better way to assess each team's respective strengths and weaknesses. Hence a maximum of 6 teams. It is about quality not quantity of games

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Zulfi

Feb 21, 2016 02:04am

And I believe that 3 playoffs (idea first devised by IPL) is a much better format than a simple 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 SFs adopted my most sports. If 1 or 2 or both have one bad game, both are out!! But 3 playoffs ensure that at least one of the top two teams reach the final. The loser gets a second chance as well. So makes it more likely that the two top teams during the league stages would again contest the Final which is how it should be.

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Dr Rehman (Dow)

Feb 21, 2016 06:25am

Where are the players from Karachi in Karachi Kings? Why Fawad Alam out from playing eleven? Not a single match he played.

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Lucky Star

Feb 21, 2016 07:35am

@Khan- Pakistani Go United!

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Aftab Alam Khan

Feb 21, 2016 09:21am

Why S Malik stepped down? Why he not played shots and did not show any interest, He is responsible for kings' failure

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Feb 21, 2016 09:37am

Karachi kings played like a true Pakistani team...always choking on the most important match...

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Pathetic

Feb 21, 2016 10:04am

I fail the understand the logic of giving Peshawar two chances to qualify for Final!!! The Zalmis should be eliminated like Qalanders and Kings.This appears to be a Super Match Fixing. It should be the team at the bottom who should have got another oppertunity not Zalmi in any case.

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Unair

Feb 21, 2016 10:38am

Oh my God. They couldn't even cross 130 mark. Poor Kings. Better luck next time. I can't wait for Zalims v united game. I want Zalims to come meet queeta.

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Rick_james

Feb 21, 2016 11:14am

Doesn't matter who won this game, they will be thrashed by the Peshawar Zalmi's.

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A Kay

Feb 21, 2016 11:18am

Karachi king has been a complete disappointment from start ..I was afraid that by luck they may beat Islamabad and get through ..but glad it didn't happen ...Lahore qalanader could have given more tough time then this easy one way victory to islamabaad . ..I feel quetta and Islamabad are well balanced teams .and have shown team work in pervious matches.. .Peshawar on the other hand ..depends on some one playing extra ordinary ..to secure a win ...my support for quetta to win the final ..

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Waseem Sarwar

Feb 21, 2016 11:28am

Kings were well and truly beaten. Islamabad are peaking at the right moment and would probably beat Zalmi too. It should be a great match tonight and hopefully a close one. United's top order is in fine form and they have specialist bowlers too who are bowling very good.

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Aamir

Feb 21, 2016 12:46pm

Its time to give respect to Fawad Alam .. he deserve a lot for his contribution in domestic and internationals.

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Revenge

Feb 21, 2016 01:03pm

Isn't this playoff format first derived by IPL?

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Revenge

Feb 21, 2016 01:04pm

@Zulfi IPL happens in India not UAE.

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kpk.

Feb 21, 2016 01:18pm

@Khan- Pakistani .it has nothing to do with the big city.secondly the team was crap from the start ot was only the hype created by ARY.Or else they are worse than anyother team. Amir is useles noww.same like gul nd shajin akhtar were in there end daysfast bowlers r gud n d start.

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Karachiwala

Feb 21, 2016 03:12pm

Karachi Kings never deserved to be in the play offs. Owners need to go back to serious thinking and include young talent from Karachi.

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usher

Feb 21, 2016 03:20pm

@Dr Rehman (Dow) Mostly & actively Karachi Players are in United & Gladiator.

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Abdulla Hussain

Feb 21, 2016 05:43pm

Karachi king proved a very weak team, the team drafting was not good, all out of form or casual performers were picked up. Media hype further put the last nail in the coffin.

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Azizul

Feb 22, 2016 11:38am

Karchi King's man problem of handling of players. They could not manage overseas playeres well. They kept on playing james vince when he perform little with bat. Mushfiq was better suited for the conditions but they brought him only for 2 or 3 games and play him lower down the order where he is not suitable. Robi Bopara played one or two games superbly and rest was mediocre as he is player all through out his life. Neither batter nor bowler. Shakib, IPL star save his game for IPL like all other ipl stars in this competition. Shoab Malik can not perform well and also can not manage team well. Management was pathetic for the team. We need horses for courses. The team was good enough to win the competition but management and coach was not good. Imad was an utter failure.

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