Will Imad Wasim’s lack of captaincy experience hurt the Kings?
Against Islamabad, it showed. The Sharjah pitch hasn’t been easy for batsmen. Hitting through the line seemed next to impossible for many matches and then Ronchi broke that trend. However, a fair bit of it was down to Karachi King’s inability to alter their game plan. Since the tournament moved to Sharjah, the ideal bowling method became to hit the pitch hard and see how the pitch reacts. There was uneven bounce, there was no swing or seam. So, fast bowler bowled into the wicket to generate natural variation.
Have had a lot of bad luck thus far (kaale bakre tayaar karo), but good to see boys truly in the groove today.
— Hassan Cheema (@mediagag) March 4, 2018
Karachi Kings started with a similar strategy against Ronchi and Duminy. They should have changed it very soon, but they did not and suffered at the hands of Ronchi. Unlike Babar Azam and Khurram Manzoor, Ronchi did not struggle for timing. Whether it was dew or intent of Ronchi, the patch looked entirely different than other Sharjah pitches in PSL. Nevertheless, Karachi King kept trying to bowl wicket to wicket, often ended up short on the leg side. Rochi took utmost advantage.
Quetta’s punt on Rahat Ali is paying off
A lot of people have questioned, Usama Mir’s absence even when Afridi isn’t in the 11. Ridiculously small boundaries (at least what we see on tv) was perhaps the main reason of him not playing in Sharjah. However, it was more a team strategy than a personnel issues. Imad Wasim is a relatively young captain. He’d for sure prepare different plans, having tasted difficult in such a comprehensive manner. 1 plan is often not enough and as a captain you must know when to alter those plans.
PSL needs a strong performance from Karachi Kings, having seen LQs’ meek surrender.
