David Warner, the captain of the Karachi Kings, has blasted his team for “handing the opposition the game” after the Quetta Gladiators rallied to win after looking like they were going to lose. The Kings, chasing 143, sat comfortably at 77 for 1 in the ninth over before collapsing spectacularly to 115 for 8 in the 18th. After opener Tim Seifert, who had come out of the blocks and hit an impressive 47 off 26 balls, was bowled out by Mohammad Wasim in the 12th over, there was little offensive intent from any of the players.
Warner was particularly disappointed by this lack of intent.
He said, “Tonight just wasn’t good enough,” in an interview conducted right after Karachi’s five-run defeat. “I don’t mind losing if you’re battling, but it’s unacceptable to give the opposition the advantage. There, we didn’t adopt any constructive strategies. You won’t win many games if you don’t put pressure on yourself after losing 4 for 11 in 6 or 7 overs [5 for 14 in 4.4 overs]. They didn’t bowl very well there, in my opinion; we were simply a touch too relaxed and lost wickets in spurts.
The Kings, who signed Warner as their star player and made him captain, have had a disappointing season. The Kings are trying to turn around a run of three consecutive seasons in which they were eliminated before making it to the playoffs. The Kings have improved this season and are now comfortably in the running for the playoffs, but they have had three wins and three losses in their first six games.
A portion of that can be attributed to a bowling assault that has been remarkably successful at times, like Friday at the Gaddafi Stadium. “We will look at the positives with our bowling unit,” Warner stated. “They have been outstanding in the last few games, and they are really happy of their performance, particularly during the powerplay.
“The wicket was excellent, in my opinion. The wicket, in my opinion, is not at all reflected in 142 and 137. It is a 170-180 wicket, in my opinion. “It was remarkable to bowl them out for 142.”
Warner urged his squad to continue doing what they believe they have done so far in the tournament, especially in games where they have lost. “It’s about assessing what we are doing well,” he stated. “It’s easy to bat since we weren’t positive. We have been quite upbeat in the last few games that we have won. We’ve been upbeat even when we’ve lost, so we should examine the areas where we’re falling short.
Before playing again on May 1 against the Multan Sultans, who are currently at the bottom of the table with one victory and four losses, Karachi Kings will have four days off.
India
