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Karachi Kings, the winners of the PSL (Pakistan Super League) title less than 30 months ago, are now facing the possibility of being the first team to be eliminated from the competition for two consecutive years. The Karachi Kings’ Problems in the ongoing PSL 2023 have been a result of several poor decisions made during the team’s draft and tournament management.
Let’s have an eye on the factors deteriorating their rhythm overall:
What are Karachi Kings’ Problems?
The Daft Draft Picks
Karachi Kings’ draft was questionable right from the start and gave birth to one of the Karachi Kings’problems. The team management’s decision to let go of Babar Azam, the world’s number-one T20I batsman, raised several eyebrows. Instead, they brought in Haider Ali and Shoaib Malik to replace him, who were struggling to perform at opposite ends of their careers.
Karachi had signalled their desire to shift away from Babar Azam’s conservative style of cricket and adopt a more progressive approach. However, their two platinum batsmen, Wade and Haider, have failed to deliver a higher strike rate than Babar thus far. In fact, both players have scored at a lower strike rate than Babar, which seems to contradict the team’s stated intentions. It is worth noting that their batting averages are also lower than Babar’s, but that should not be used as a measure of their abilities as batsmen. After all, every batsman faces different challenges in the game, and it’s important to assess their performances within the context of the matches they play.
Moreover, another Karachi Kings’ problem is’ the three platinum picks, which included Haider, Imran Tahir, and Matthew Wade. Clearly, they were not impressive when compared to other teams’ premium picks, such as Shadab Khan, Alex Hales, Muhammad Rizwan, David Miller, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rashid Khan, Babar Azam, Wanindu Hasaranga, James Neesham, and Naseem Shah.
Major Karachi Kings’ Problem: The Poor Performance
The decision to bring in Haider and Malik backfired, and both players found themselves out of the side as the tournament progressed. Wade has also struggled and has been shifted down the order. Despite the strange picks, Karachi Kings managed to come close to victory on several occasions but fell short. Their two wins have come against Lahore and Multan, the two best sides in the tournament.
However, the Kings’ performance was more down to individual brilliance than any strategic plan. Skipper Imad Wasim appeared a man possessed, determined to show the country what they have been missing out on for the last 18 months since he was inexplicably dropped.
Might be interesting to read: The Final Push: Karachi King’s Strategies for Securing a Place in the PSL 8 Playoffs
The Bright Sparks despite Karachi Kings’ problems
Imad Wasim is one of the world’s most difficult spinners to hit for runs and is Pakistan’s most economical T20 bowler ever, despite often bowling in the powerplay. His T20I economy of 6.33 is the fourth-best of all time among bowlers with 50 wickets. He is also the best finisher in the country with the bat and has highlighted that during this PSL, where he has finished not out in six of the eight matches so far.
Muhammad Amir’s left wrist is still one of the best in the business, and if it wasn’t for all the baggage that comes with him, he would still be a shoo-in for the international side. Meanwhile, Tabraiz Shamsi joining Imad made Karachi’s spin attack arguably the best in the tournament, even though Shamsi has featured in only three games.
The Poor Management
The Kings’ poor performance can also be attributed to their poor management of players. The team overlooked Qasim Akram, one of the country’s most promising aggressive batsmen, after only one game. This is despite Qasim impressing last year for the Kings, with a strike rate of nearly 155, which was comfortably Karachi’s best, and an average of 33, second only to Babar’s.
The Kings’ bowling attack was also unbalanced, with the likes of Akif Javed, Andrew Tye, and Aamer Yamin struggling as the supporting cast with the ball. This meant that early pressure applied by the likes of Imad and Amir often went to waste, with teams well aware that if they just hung in there, the weak links in the Kings’ bowling attack would eventually crack.
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