Alex Hales, Asif see Islamabad through, Karachi Kings eliminated

Islamabad United 164 for 6 (Hales 41, Delport 38, Talat 32, Asif 24*, Umer 2-16) beat Karachi Kings 161 for 9 (Babar 42, Munro 32, Musa 3-42, Faheem 2-30) by 4 wickets

How the game played out

Karachi Kings may be one of the less prolific sides in this competition's brief history, but they are the only side to have knocked Islamabad United out of any PSL tournament. That victory came in an Eliminator two years ago. But today, Islamabad United avenged that loss in a scrappy, entertaining game where both sides chugged along like an antique car on a dodgy engine, hurtling along seemingly without control before grinding to a halt at various stages of their innings. The upshot was a four-wicket win for Islamabad, who chased down Karachi's 161 with three balls to spare.

Despite the loss, the most memorable part of the game was arguably the first six overs. Karachi had courageously won the toss and chosen to bat first in a tournament where that decision is close to sacrilege, and blistered to 50 in just 20 balls as Colin Munro finally began to make good on the talent based on which he was signed. When he feathered an edge to Mohammad Musa, he had smashed 32 runs in a mere 11 balls, and Karachi were motoring along at 17 an over. They would go on to add an eye-watering 78 in the first six, as the boundaries flew like confetti.

Islamabad came back to choke them after the Powerplay ended, and somehow maintained that stranglehold right throughout the innings, with Karachi only just managing to double their Powerplay total, in the end limping to 161 for nine. Most of Islamabad's bowlers had recovered their figures, and the one who was most expensive - Muhammad Musa - was the highest wicket-taker, having removed Munro, Ingram and Iftikhar Ahmed.

Islamabad's chase always looked tight, not helped by a slow start and Ronchi's early departure. Alex Hales and Cameron Delport saw them through the Powerplay, but the nerves wouldn't have been eased as the asking rate continued to rise in the face of a stellar bowling attack and a world-class spell from Umer Khan. Towards the end, it came down to Islamabad's own local talent in Faheem Ashraf, Asif Ali and Hussain Talat to manage the asking rate. Mohammad Amir missed his lines once too often, Babar Azam dropped a catch once too frequently and Karachi were simply a few too short in the final overs. It all amounted to Islamabad getting to the finish line just in time, dashing Karachi's hopes of a title on home soil.

Turning point

Karachi began to struggle as soon as that whirlwind of a Powerplay came to a close, but the final three overs were especially ruinous to their chances. Positioned at 150 for six with three overs to go, they still had the opportunity to pose a stiff challenge with a brisk finish. Instead, the last three overs saw a mere 11 runs scored.

Star of the day

Pakistan have swooned over the fast bowling gems they may have unearthed this tournament, and bemoaned the lack of exciting local batsmen. But the find of the competition may be 19-year old Umer Khan, perhaps the most promising spinner to come out of the PSL since Shadab Khan. Having impressed ever since he got AB de Villiers out weeks ago, Umer has found a way to get the biggest names of the planet out just when Karachi have required him to. His spell today was one of the spells of the tournament, with the teenager the only bowler to find genuine drift and turn on a flat wicket. He wasn't afraid of flighting the ball, and found due rewards, finding the outside edges of Delport and Chadwick Walton within three deliveries of each other. He ended up with 4-0-16-2, and if ever a performance deserved not to end up in the losing side, it was his.

The big miss

Ronchi has the highest strike rate in the world off the first 10 balls, but the New Zealand opener was strangely subdued over that period today. Valued around the world because he doesn't need so much as a warm-up ball to begin attacking the bowlers, Ronchi played out nine deliveries today, unable to get one to the boundary rope. Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir and Aamer Yamin all executed their plans perfectly, pitching the ball short of a length. It deprived Ronchi of the ability to strike the ball through the line. The change-up came off his ninth ball, with Yamin sending down a wide yorker that Ronchi could only mishit to mid-on. 5 off 9 is an unlikely innings breakdown for the Islamabad talisman, and in a game of exceptionally fine margins, they almost ended up paying for it.

Big picture

Karachi bow out with today's defeat, with Islamabad through to the playoff with Peshawar tomorrow. The winner of that contest plays Quetta Gladiators in the final.

Hungry Abu Jayed guns for swing-bowling glory

Abu Jayed doesn't quite think that he belongs to international cricket. He's been in the senior set up for over a year, but has featured in just eight internationals.It has taken him a decade of first-class cricket to finally get noticed.

Since his debut in July 2018, Jayed has played only one out of four Tests at home, and even though he has been picked for their last four overseas Tests, that's hardly a sign of continuity in Bangladesh cricket.

Yet, Bangladesh have an impressive swing bowler who invests a lot of thought in his bowling and has become, almost quietly, the highest wicket-taker in the country's first-class competitions since his debut in 2010.

These are early days for Jayed the international cricketer, but in this brief period, he has shown he can be a potent swing bowler in Bangladesh's attack. It is, however, spin that overrides swing in the Bangladesh attack's mindset.

Spin wins them a lot of home Tests these days, which has also meant far less focus on trying to find ways to win abroad. In the lead-up to the ongoing New Zealand tour, there hadn't been any tour-specific preparations (unlike their last two tours to this region), so newcomers like Jayed had to simply rely on their existing skillset.

Yet Jayed has, for the major part, been accurate, been willing to bowl long spells, upped his pace over the past nine months and looked to have every weapon available in a swing bowler's arsenal that Bangladesh have missed in the past six years.

"While I was reviewing videos from West Indies," Jayed said, "I saw that my pace on that tour was between 122 and 125kph. Now I am bowling between 129 to 134kph on this tour. I have got some belief in myself that I can swing the ball. I can see that batsmen have to work hard to face my bowling. If I can keep improving, I can become an international level pace bowler."

During commentary in the Hamilton Test, former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull compared Jayed's bowling action to James Anderson. For most of his teenage years, Jayed spent time trying to emulate Anderson's action. A chance encounter with Mizanur Rahman, a senior coach in the BCB, put Jayed on the path from transitioning from a dreamy kid to a serious swing bowler. It helped that Rahman took an interest in Jayed's progress.

"I started off as a fast bowler, but my brother told me that pace bowling won't work in Bangladesh," Jayed said. "After his suggestion, I started to bowl off-spin. I played U-13s as an offspinner, but I would bowl them quite quickly. I switched back to pace bowling soon. In the U-16s, someone told me that I was quite a quick bowler for my age, so I kept going."

"In one of the age-group games, Babul sir [Mizanur Rahman] noticed me. My bowling action was totally like Anderson's in those days. But I was falling over on the left side, so he corrected my action. From that point, I started to get the outswing going."

As he evolved through Under-19 and first-class cricket, Jayed got a boost from one of the foremost names in fast-bowling coaching in Bangladesh. "[Sarwar] Imran sir inspired me by saying that I can play for Bangladesh," Jayed said. "He said that Bangladesh doesn't have many swing bowlers, so I can keep trying."

Jayed quietly made himself indispensable in Sylhet division's NCL campaigns from 2010, taking 135 wickets at an average of 25.62 with eight five-wicket hauls. He was an easy pick for the East Zone side in the Bangladesh Cricket League, the higher-level first-class competition, in which he has so far been the standout pace bowler with 76 wickets in 24 matches.

Predominantly, Jayed bowls long spells, and preys on the batsmen's patience. "For example, when I play under Sourav bhai [Mominul Haque] in the BCL, I stick to his plan. I am usually able to bowl 10-12 overs, so I work on the batsmen's patience," Jayed said.

Jayed developed the inswing and has honed his ability to reverse the ball, too. He is known to be an energetic bowler, who doesn't just trundle through a mid-innings spell. He gives it his all. Among his team-mates, he is also known as someone who has great knowledge of the ball.

Some also feel that Jayed, one of the few Sylhet-born cricketers from his generation, has also inspired others to take up fast bowling. Ebadot Hossain and Khaled Ahmed, who are also in the Bangladesh Test squad for the tour of New Zealand, are also from Sylhet.

"There was a time [when I felt bad], but I started to focus more on first-class cricket... I wanted to be the highest wicket-taker every year..."

However, given he was overlooked for so many years, despite being the top pace bowler on the wickets-chart, the exclusion had been becoming demanding for Jayed. But like a true professional, he respected the domestic game, which earned him his keep, and he set his new goals to move up the ladder.

"There was a time [when I felt bad], but I started to focus more on first-class cricket," Jayed said. "I wanted to be the highest wicket-taker every year, and slowly eclipse bowlers like Tapash Baisya, Hasibul Hossain, Tarek Aziz and Talha Jubair. I stopped thinking about the national team at one point.

"I told Talha [Jubair] bhai recently that I am close to catching up with his tally of first-class wickets. One day, I want to catch up with Mohammad Sharif, or at least get close to it."

But Jayed wouldn't want to emulate the fate of Sharif, Tapash, Hasibul, Tarek or Talha, neither of whom had a long career despite the promise they exuded. Among them only Tapash was more of a regular but only when Mashrafe Mortaza was injured in the early to mid-2000s. But injuries, a drop in the pacers' form and, most pertinently, the impatience of selection committees over the last two decades, have made pace bowling in Bangladesh cricket a sideshow.

Jayed doesn't obviously plan to change any of that. He simply wants to learn better the complex art of swing bowling. He wants to meet his hero Anderson one day, but for now he is keen to play more Tests, and keep picking up vital life lessons along the way.

By the end of the tour, he hopes to have a chat with Tim Southee, from whom he wants to learn a new kind of delivery: one that is delivered cross-seamed and while appears to be an outswinger originally, comes back into the right-hander.

Nobody in Bangladesh cricket, mad about ODIs and the upcoming World Cup in particular, can be bothered. Jayed is, and wants to get better. Swing bowling is a tough art, and Jayed perhaps is learning it in the toughest setting in world cricket.

Kamran, Imam, Hasan Ali dismantle Karachi Kings

Peshawar Zalmi 203 for 7 (Kamran 86, Imam 59, Amir 3-24) beat Karachi Kings 142 (Ingram 71, Imad 30, Hasan Ali 3-15) by 61 runs

How the game played out

There was never likely to be much on the line in this game. A victory for Karachi Kings might have put them level with Peshawar Zalmi on 12 points, but so poor had Kings' run rate been, and so healthy was Zalmi's that Kings would have had to chase down Zalmi's target in 9.1 overs to finish in the top two.

Very quickly, it became apparent that Zalmi was not going to roll over so easily. Usman Shinwari had been Kings' hero as he bowled an outstanding final over on Sunday night, but on Monday, it was in his first over that the opposition's charge began. Kamran Akmal struck three fours off that first Shinwari over - the most attractive of his shots an on-the-up drive to pierce the covers. He and Imam-ul-Haq, who hit three fours himself in the fourth over of the innings, were outstanding in the Powerplay. Together they put on 61 by the end of six overs - Akmal hitting two sixes off spin to make 37 of those runs.

Where Imam slowed down a touch when the field restrictions ended, Akmal's assault maintained its intensity. He was sweeping Umer Khan for six, pummeling Imad Wasim down the ground, and blasting the quicks around the ground as well, though not with quite the same frequency. In the 12th over, bowled by Umer, he hit a four, six and a four in succession. With Imam (who had earlier been dropped on 32 off the bowling of Shinwari, in the ninth over) also having struck a six before turning the strike over to Akmal, Zalmi plundered 23 off that over. Umer's economy rate lay in tatters - him having given away 45 off three overs.

The partnership - worth 137 in 13.2 overs - was easily Zalmi's best ever opening stand. Akmal was first to go, in what was perhaps the most eventful over of the innings, bowled by Colin Munro. After he had had Akmal caught at extra cover for 86 off 48 balls, including 10 fours and five sixes, Munro was immediately monstered for two sixes down the ground by Kieron Pollard. Then, in fifth ball of the over, Pollard tried to hit his third consecutive six and holed out to long off, leaving Munro to perform celebrations that might have been interpreted as a send-off in international cricket, though the PSL match officials might be a little more lenient. In any case, the over had two sixes and two wickets in the space of four balls.

Having been 150 for 2 after 14 overs, perhaps Zalmi would have wanted a score in the range of 220, rather than the 203 for 7 that they ended up with, but it did not matter that they ran out of steam towards the end of their innings - Amir coming back to bowl some excellent overs at the death.

With ball in hand, Zalmi were almost as irresistible as they had been in the first innings. Hasan Ali and Sameen Gul both struck early to leave Kings two down after two overs - Gul removing the dangerous Babar Azam. By the end of the eighth over, Wahab Riaz had struck as well, and the required rate was well over 11.

Colin Ingram produced a sustained assault, hitting 71 off 37 balls in an innings that featured seven fours and four sixes, but he was caught at mid-off off the bowling of Tymal Mills, and Kings' innings unraveled spectacularly from there. Having been 125 for 5 in the middle of the 14th over, they ended up being all out in the 17th, with 142 runs on the board. Hasan Ali buttressed his reputation as the league's best bowler with 3 for 15, and now sits two wickets clear of Islamabad United's Faheem Ashraf on the wicket-takers' list, with 21 dismissals to his name.

Turning point

This was basically all one-way traffic, wasn't it? Zalmi made only one run in the first over - bowled by Amir - but reaped 14 in the second to take Kings by the collar, and did not relinquish their grip from there onwards. Zalmi did lose five wickets for 53 runs in the last six overs of their innings, but they had made so much ground earlier on, that theirs was always a commanding match position. When Kings lost their top three inside the first four overs, it was beyond even the considerable powers of Ingram to get them back in the game.

Star of the day

The easy choice would be Kamran Akmal, for his 86 at a strike rate of 179. But almost as impressive was Amir, who even despite Hasan's superior figures, was the best bowler of the evening. Where Hasan had the benefit of scoreboard pressure, Amir was the talisman in Kings' misfiring attack, taking 3 for 24 from his four overs. It was his last two overs that helped restrict Zalmi, and prevented the opposition from turning their outstanding total into a truly gargantuan one.

The big miss

Perhaps it would not have made a huge difference to the outcome, but had a diving Liam Livingstone held on to a tough catch off Imam-ul-Haq in the ninth over, they would have dented that wonderful opening stand. Imam went on to add 27 more runs, finishing on 59 off 40 balls.

Where the teams stand

Zalmi have cemented their place in Wednesday's qualifier against Quetta Gladiators. In fact, so comprehensive was this win, that Zalmi actually finished the league stage top of the table with 14 points, which is the same as Gladiators, only Zalmi have a superior net run rate.

Kings, who had confirmed their presence in the playoffs with that sensational win over Gladiators on Sunday night, will play the first eliminator, against Islamabad United on Thursday. The winner of the eliminator, and the loser of the Gladiators v Zalmi qualifier, will then play what is effectively a semi-final on Friday. The winner of the Gladiators v Zalmi game goes straight through to the final.

PCB takes 'strong notice' of India's army caps

The PCB has taken "strong notice" of India's use of army camouflage caps during their third ODI against Australia in Ranchi, urging the ICC to take action against the BCCI.

MS Dhoni, who is an honorary lieutenant colonel in the Indian territorial army, distributed the caps to the team before the toss. The move was initiated as a way to pay tribute to those killed in the terror attack in Pulwama last month. The BCCI had approached the ICC before going ahead with the plan, and the ICC confirmed to ABOCricinfo that permission had been granted as it was part of a charity fundraising effort.

"We have strongly taken up the matter with the ICC," PCB chairman Ehsan Mani told reporters in Karachi. "There is absolutely no misunderstanding in the ICC about our position. We believe that cricket and sports should not be used for politics and we have said this very clearly. Their [India] credibility in the cricketing world has gone down very badly."

"There should not be any ambiguity as we are taking this very strongly. We don't do politics, neither we do we use cricket for politics"

EHSAN MANI

India's captain Virat Kohli had explained at the toss in Ranchi that donning the caps were meant to encourage countrymen to donate to the National Defence Fund to help with the education of the martyrs' dependents.

"This is to pay respect to the martyrs of the Pulwama attack and their families," Kohli said. "All the players have decided to donate their match fees from this particular game to the National Defence Fund. I, as the captain of the team, would urge everyone in the country to do the same, donate how much ever they can to the National Defence Fund and help in the education and well-being of the families and the children of those who lost their lives in the attack. So this is a very special cap and a very special game indeed."

Mani, however, insisted that ICC should take "strong action" against India, especially as there was already precedent for the same.

Moeen Ali, the England allrounder, was banned in 2014 for wearing wristbands bearing the slogans 'Save Gaza' and 'Free Palestine' on the first two days of the third Test against India at The Ageas Bowl. While the ECB had defended Moeen's stance, describing his actions as humanitarian rather than political, match referee David Boon had reminded Moeen of the ICC's clothing and equipment regulations.

Similarly, South African legspinner Imran Tahir was reprimanded by the ICC for his celebrations during a T20I against Sri Lanka in early 2017. After dismissing Asela Gunaratne, Tahir went off on one of his usual celebratory runs before taking off his playing kit and revealing a t-shirt with an image of the late Junaid Jamshed, a Pakistani pop icon and latterly religious preacher who had died in a plane crash.

"You have two examples from the past already, where both Imran Tahir and Moeen Ali were sanctioned for something similar," Mani said. "The ICC had taken strong action against them and we have sought similar action against India. The permission they took was for a different purpose but they acted differently.

"We have been in touch with ICC from day one, sent one letter already and another is being followed up in next 12 hours. There should not be any ambiguity as we are taking this very strongly. We don't do politics, neither we do we use cricket for politics."

Ties between the two boards have deteriorated sharply in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack. The BCCI initially wanted to have Pakistan banned from the World Cup this summer, before deciding to tone that down by asking the ICC to "sever ties with countries from which terrorism emanates".

BCCI officials did not bring up the request at a recent ICC board meeting but it was brought up - and turned down - by the ICC head Shashank Manohar.

Turner 195.34 as Australia complete their highest chase

5- Australia successfully chased down the fifth-biggest target in ODI history, by getting 359 in this ODI. It was also the highest successful chase for Australia, beating the 334 chased down against England at SCG in 2011.

322- The previous highest target successfully chased down versus India by any side before Australia making a new record in this match. Pakistan had won chasing 322, also in Mohali, in 2007 and Sri Lanka did so at The Oval in the 2017 Champions Trophy. This is also the second-highest successful chase for any side in India. In 2013, India quickly chased down 360 versus Australia in Jaipur.

2- Instances of three batsmen making 80 or more in a successful ODI chase. The trio of Peter Handscomb (117), Usman Khawaja (91) and Ashton Turner (84*) emulated Rohit Sharma (141*), Virat Kohli (100*) and Shikhar Dhawan (95) who achieved this against Australia in Jaipur in 2013 when chasing 360.

98- Runs scored by Australia in the last 10 overs, which is after the 40th over the most by any team against India in a successful chase. The previous highest was also in Mohali in 2013 when James Faulkner did the most damage and scored 96. Before these two, Pakistan had also made 91 in the final 10 overs in 2007. The Australia batsmen got 64 runs off four overs between the 44th and 47th overs.

68- Runs scored by Turner in the last 10 overs, off 29 balls - the second-most by a batsman in a successful chase in the final 10 overs (after the 40th over). Abdul Razzaq had hit 76 off 35 against South Africa in Abu Dhabi in 2010. Faulkner got 67 off 29 in Mohali in 2013.

Most Runs By A Batsman In The Last 10 Overs In A Successful Chase

Batsman              Runs        SR               Runs required      Opposition         Venue           Year

Abdul Razzaq     76 (35)  217.14                   87                     South Africa         Abu Dhabi    2010

Ashton Turner   68 (29)  234.48                    98                       India                      Mohali        2019

James Faulkner 67 (29)  231.03                    96                       India                      Mohali        2013

Gulbadin Naib   66 (34)  194.11                     88                     Zimbabwe              Sharjah        2016

Kevin Pietersen 64 (25)  256.00                    76                     Australia                 Bristol         2005

195.34- Ashton Turner's strike rate in scoring 84 off 43 is the highest by a non-opening batsman facing a minimum of 40 balls during a successful chase. For Australia, the previous such quick innings was by Damien Martyn when scoring unbeaten 92 off 51 versus Bangladesh in Cairns in 2003.

DRS 'is not consistent at all' - Virat Kohli

Question marks on the accuracy of the Decision Review System (DRS) have now come up in two successive matches in the ongoing India-Australia series, with Virat Kohli making his displeasure public, saying "it's just not consistent at all" following an overturned review for caught-behind of Ashton Turner during a crucial passage of play in the fourth ODI in Mohali on Sunday.

The incident took place in the 44th over of Australia's pursuit of India's 358 for 9, when Turner tried to slash a slow, wide legbreak from Yuzvendra Chahal. Turner lunged to cut a ball from inside the crease to one that spun way. The ball seemed to have connected with the toe-end of Turner's bat. Having collected the ball, Rishabh Pant whipped off the bails and appealed for what initially felt like a stumping. However, he then urged Kohli to take the review even as umpire Anil Chaudhary called it not out, and the decision was referred to third umpire Joel Wilson.

Ultra Edge picked some murmurs even before the ball had passed the bat and once again flickered just after the ball went passed the swinging blade. Wilson duly turned down India's review, something Kohli disagreed with, displaying his displeasure by shaking his head and saying a few words.

At that point, Turner was on 41 with Australia needing a further 66 from 39 balls with five wickets in hand. He went on to hurt India by helping Australia to their highest chase in ODIs, Kohli describing his innings as the "game-changer".

Without any prompting at the post-match presentation ceremony, Kohli called the DRS decision contentious, saying it "was a bit of a surprise". "It's becoming more of a talking point every game. It's just not consistent at all, and that was a game-changer moment as well," he said.

"But yeah, that's more of an uncontrollable, but the controllable we had to do right, and we didn't do it right, and the opportunity slipped away," he added, pointing to the many chances the Indians missed on the field.

Kohli's mention of DRS becoming 'a talking point' was likely a reference to the third ODI in Ranchi, where a glaring error in ball-tracking projection came into the spotlight when Australian captain Aaron Finch was given out lbw off left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Kuldeep got a stock ball to straighten and rap the Australia captain on the back pad in the 32nd over, and C Shamshuddin, the on-field umpire, ruled the batsman out lbw. Finch asked for a review, and replays showed the ball pitching on leg stump, when it had actually bounced on middle stump.

While the ball might have still gone on to hit the stumps even if it had pitched on leg stump, it was a noticeable mistake on the part of the ball-tracking technology in use.

ABOCricinfo understands that the technology might have suffered a technical glitch during the Ranchi game, which resulted in it missing the line. Australia's management has not lodged any official complaint with the match officials following the incident.

Kane Williamson taken for scans after injuring shoulder

Kane Williamson was taken for scans on his injured shoulder, and didn't come out to field in the Bangladesh second innings in the ongoing second Test in Wellington. The New Zealand captain picked up the injury during the third day's play when he fell awkwardly trying to stop a ball at gully.

While batting during the first session on the fourth day of the rain-hit Test, Williamson had struggled with his left shoulder and the physio to come out a couple of times to check on him.

Though in discomfort - he took his hand off the bat upon making contact with the ball a couple of times too - he scored 74, lasting nearly three hours at the crease. He added 172 runs for the third wicket with Ross Taylor as New Zealand put up 432 for 6 declared in response to Bangladesh's first-innings score of 211.

With Williamson off the field, New Zealand were led by Tim Southee, while Peter Bocock fielded in his place.

The third Test in Christchurch begins on March 16.

Ross Taylor goes past mentor Martin Crowe's century tally

Ross Taylor admitted that getting past his late mentor Martin Crowe's 17 Test hundreds weighed heavily on him until today, when he reached his 18th. Taylor's three centuries in 2016 got him close to Crowe's record but then he took a bit of time to equal him, finally doing it in December 2017 against West Indies. Then, again, he had to wait a long time for the next one, to go past Crowe who died in March 2016 of cancer.

On the way to his 200 against Bangladesh on the fourth day in Wellington, Taylor also crossed Crowe's record for most runs at a venue in New Zealand, after reaching 1,226 at the Basin Reserve.

"I told Hogan [Crowe] "my apologies" for taking so long to get there," Taylor said. "I also broke his [record] for most runs at the Basin [Reserve], so he's probably a bit annoyed with that one.

"I guess 17 was such a big number when I just started playing cricket. Once I got there it was probably a bit of a relief and then didn't kick on. It was probably a little in my subconscious. I must admit it probably played on my mind for a bit as well, so before this I had a chat to our sports psych guy Pete [Sanford] and just acknowledged that it's always going to be there. But now it's nice to knock it off and just go out there and play."

Taylor also said that reaching his third double-hundred was also a relief for him, especially after he survived the two dropped chances in the first 15 minutes of the morning session. He said that after getting out to a great catch by Dimuth Karunaratne in Wellington a couple of months ago, he felt that there will be a time when his luck would turn.

Taylor reached his fifty off 61 balls and went even more quickly to his century, taking a further 36 balls to get there - he struck six fours and three sixes during this period. He batted at even pace for the rest of his innings, finishing with 19 fours and four sixes, before getting caught behind the wicket in the 84th over.

"There was a stage out there when I thought 'Hogan got 299, I might get 199', so it was nice to get past that. I've always loved playing at the Basin. It's nice for family and friends to be here as well. If you'd told me that [I'd get a double] at the start of the day, especially how the first 10 overs went, I would have said 'you're kidding'.

"I felt really good when I played against Sri Lanka here and got an absolute screamer at short-leg, second ball of the day. I just went back to that and thought well my luck's got to change sooner or later. Let's make it pay off."

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James Pattinson set to make last-chance run for Ashes berth

The latest of many James Pattinson comebacks from injury will have the extra edge of a potential Ashes berth in the offing, when he turns out for Victoria against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at Drummoyne Oval from Tuesday.

At the start of this season, Pattinson had set himself the goal of finding a place in Australia's squad to tour England later this year, six years after he first made the trip as a young tearaway in 2013. That series ended, as so many have for Pattinson, in injury and anguish, as he played in Nottingham and at Lord's before tearing a side muscle in the second innings of that Test.

His most recent Test appearance for Australia was as far back as February 2016 in New Zealand, and he has since undergone radical back surgery by Cricket Australia's standards in an attempt to get away from the treatment room and back in the middle more often.

"The big goal would be to play in the Ashes next year," Pattinson had said in November. "But I know that there's a lot of water to go under the bridge before that happens and there's a lot of games of cricket. Obviously, this is just the start of hopefully working towards that.

"It [recovery] took a bit longer I think when I started bowling. I was bowling indoors and it felt a little bit sore to start with and slowly got better. It probably took more time than I thought. Obviously, there's some frustrating mornings when you wake up and can hardly move. But I think talking to a lot of the guys who have had the surgery, Shane Bond included, he basically said just keep going, it will get better and better, which it has.

"And since I've been bowling outdoors, it's felt really good. Touch wood, I haven't had a problem with it since I've been bowling. But, like I said, it is only early days. If I'm still standing here playing at the end of the season I'll be happy."

After taking nine wickets in four Shield appearances before Christmas with Victoria, Pattinson was waylaid by a side strain while playing for Brisbane Heat during the Big Bash League. He has subsequently worked his way back to fitness, and now has Victoria's run to the Shield final to show his capabilities at 28 years of age.

"After James' setback during the BBL, we had the vision of him making a return at the back-end of the Shield season," Victoria's chairman of selectors Andrew Lynch said. "He's obviously a quality player that has the ability to win matches, and he's coming in at a crucial time as we look to secure a spot in the final later this month."

Livingstone, Babar Azam, M.Amir star in Karachi Kings' opening win

Karachi Kings 183 for 6 (Livingstone 82, Babar 77, Green 3-32) beat Multan Sultans 176 for 9 (Malik 52, Evans 49, Amir 4-25) by seven runs

How the game played out

A record PSL stand between debutant Liam Livingstone and the No.1 T20I batsman Babar Azam followed by Mohammad Amir's expertise at the death fashioned a tight seven-run opening win for Karachi Kings.

Babar Azam chops one down to third man PCB/PSL

How did this even get this tight after Livingstone and Babar struck up a 157-run opening stand - the highest for any wicket in the league? After the fireworks at the top, Karachi's innings fizzled out in the end as they lost 6 for 26 to be limited to 183 for 6.

Multan Sultans' captain Shoaib Malik blitzed a 24-ball fifty - headlined by 4,4,4,4,6 off Ravi Bopara in the 14th over - and then former Karachi King Shahid Afridi and Hammad Azam threatened a late jailbreak in the chase. But Amir's bag of slower cutters and rapid yorkers, combined with sharp catching in the outfield sealed Multan's fate.

Turning points

Livingstone and Babar teed off against the new ball on a pitch that got slower as the match progressed. They ran up 53 in the Powerplay and never looked back. Multan then managed only 38 for 1 in their first six overs.

When Multan needed 20 off the last two overs with five wickets in hand, they were in with a strong chance to script a come-from-behind win. But Amir got rid of Afridi and Azam in a four-run penultimate over to set Multan up for a narrow defeat.

Star of the day

The new kid on the block: Livingstone. He's a star for Lancashire in the T20 Blast in England and even had an IPL contract with Rajasthan Royals before he forayed into the PSL. He regularly ventured down the track and upset the lines and lengths of Multan's bowlers. The highlight of his 43-ball 82 was the breathtaking one-handed six off Mohammad Ilyas in the 14th over. When the seamer pitched one up on off, Livingstone's bottom hand flew off the bat, but he still generated enough power to launch it over the long-off boundary with the top hand.

And oh, he even dared to step out against Afridi's fizzing arm balls. One such advance down the pitch saw him drill Afridi over the sightscreen.

The big miss

Karachi's collapse of 6 for 26. After the rollicking opening stand, they were well-placed to notch up a 200-plus total, but their middle order faltered against Chris Green's offbreaks and the change-ups from Junaid Khan and Andre Russell. On another day, such a collapse might have cost them the game. However on this day, Amir saved them.

Where the teams stand

This is only the second game of the season. Karachi slotted in behind Islamabad United, who top the table by virtue of a superior run rate. Multan are right behind Karachi while Lahore Qalandars are at a familiar position: rock-bottom.


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