Shane Watson
Shane Watson has been ruled out of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) due to an abdominal injury Getty

Islamabad United take on the Karachi Kings in the 16<sup>th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday, 14 February.

Where to watch

The match starts at 11.30am GMT. Live coverage of the game is available in the UK on Prime TV.

Overview

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) continues on 14 February with Islamabad United taking on Karachi Kings at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Both Islamabad and Karachi are on four points and with two games left, this is a must win game.

Just when the Karachi Kings looked like they were on a roll, the loss to Quetta Gladiators on Saturday showed how much they need to improve if they are to seal a semi-final spot. The Kings were poor with the bat, managing just 126 in their 20 overs. To be fair to the bowlers, defending such a score is a tough task on any pitch in the world.

The Kings' batting is over-reliant on Shakib Al Hasan, Ravi Bopara and skipper Shoaib Malik. For them to progress, the other batsmen will need to step up. The bowling led by Sohail Tanvir has disappointed as well, and it will take a lot of improvement if they are to reach the knock-out stages. The team management is expected to go with the same squad that lost to Quetta in what is a do-or-die clash.

Islamabad United are on the same boat with inconsistency plaguing their campaign so far. The team that have won just two games so far have suffered another blow with marquee player Shane Watson ruled out of the league due to an abdominal injury. The injury occurred while Watson was bowling on Friday, and the all-rounder is set to fly to Australia for further assessment. Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has been named as Watson's replacement.

Watson's absence will put added pressure on Andre Russell and skipper Misbah-ul-haq who have performed in fits and starts. The bowling has looked listless, with only the mercurial Saeed Ajmal showing some sort of consistency. The off-spinner, who is almost a forgotten man, would consider himself unlucky not to be in Pakistan's 2016 T20 World Cup squad. Misbah, who has handled crisis in the past and come out with flying colours, will be hoping that his squad put their inconsistencies to rest and win this important encounter.

Prediction

Karachi Kings to win

Betting Odds (888sport)

  • Karachi Kings to win: 8/11
  • Islamabad United to win:11/10

Team News

Karachi Kings

Squad: Shoaib Malik (c), Nauman Anwar, Lendl Simmons, Shahzaib Hasan, Fawad Alam, James Vince, Imad Wasim, Ravi Bopara, Shakib Al Hasan, Ifthikar Ahmed, Bilawal Bhatti, Sohail Tanvir, Mushfiqur Rehman, Saifullah Bangash, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Amir, Usama Mir, Mir Hamza, TM Dilshan.

Islamabad United

Squad: Misbah-ul-haq (c), Amad Butt, Babar Azam, Samuel Badree, Sam Billings, Brad Haddin, Imran Khalid, Kamran Ghulam, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Sami, Rumman Raees, Andre Russell, Sharjeel Khan, Umar Amin, Ashar Zaidi, Hussain Talat, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Siddiq, Azhar Mahmood.