Munro’s aggressive 82 earns Islamabad big win over Karachi in PSL

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Opening batters Colin Munro and Alex Hales shared a century partnership as Islamabad United snapped its three-match losing streak with a seven-wicket win over Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League on Wednesday.

Munro made a blistering 82 off 47 balls and Hales scored 47 in anchoring Islamabad to 169-3 in 18.3 overs for its second victory.

Karachi’s top-order struggled in their first home game of the season on a slow wicket before Kieron Pollard made an unbeaten 48 and spurred the total to 165-5. Karachi has four points after two wins and two losses.

Hales missed Islamabad’s last game because of a family commitment, but his return bolstered the two-time champion’s top-order. Munro scored his second straight half-century and dominated both pace and spin as he shared a match-winning 108-run stand off 69 balls with Hales.

Munro, who hit eight fours and four sixes, didn’t allow Tabraiz Shamsi to settle down and smacked the wrist-spinner for three successive sixes in his first over that featured an extravagant reverse swept six.

Mohammad Nawaz (1-23) trapped Munro leg before wicket as the left-hander tried to cut the left-arm spinner but missed the line of the delivery and was caught on the backfoot before Salman Ali Agha (25 not out) finished off the run-chase in style with two big sixes off Hasan Ali.

Earlier, Tim Siefert (8) of New Zealand got stumped in his first game of the season and Leus du Plooy (24) showed some aggression before he was bowled by offspinner Agha as Islamabad tied down Karachi through spinner Imad Wasim (1-20) and Naseem Shah (1-29).

Pollard and Irfan Khan (27 not out) counterattacked pace bowlers in the last five overs with Rumman Raees (0-45) conceding 30 off his last two overs and Hunain Shah, brother of Naseem, going for 20 off the final over.

Islamabad had lost to Multan Sultans, Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi after its season-opening win against Lahore Qalandars.