Colin Munro says Iftikhar Ahmed kept him calm during the run-chase as Islamabad United hunted down 191 comfortably with eight balls to spare and eight wickets left.

Munro (88* off 56) and Iftikhar (71* off 39) played a key role in Islamabad’s chase after they were reduced to 41 for 2. The pair took apart Karachi’s bowling to all parts of the ground, leaving Imad Wasim’s side absolutely helpless.

Munro, who has been in an impressive form so far, said Iftikhar’s presence calmed him down as aggression can sometimes get the better of a player. “Yeah I think full credit goes to Ifti [Iftikhar], the way Ifti kept me calm. You know I have played a lot of cricket but sometimes when you get caught up in the moment, you get a little bit aggressive and get at the ball all the time,” he said in a post-match interview. 

“You know he just told me, in broken English ‘stay on the pitch, stay on the pitch’. So we batted really well and complemented each other really well. I think he batted beautifully tonight, kept me calm in some situations there.”

The left-handed batsman admitted his side didn’t start well with the ball but credited Ali Khan’s death bowling to pull things back slightly for his side. “Yeah it’s always nice to score runs and put a match winning performance on the board, I think the way we started with the ball wasn’t great, we’ve got to give credit to them the way they came out and batted at the start was really good and then it just built momentum through the innings. 

“And I think our last two overs really kept us in the game. Ali Khan, didn’t go as per the plan first two overs, came back, executed and stayed in the contest. Bowled really well and we took a little bit of momentum in the innings.”

Babar Azam and Najibullah Zadran’s imperious performance with the bat did create a few problems for the opposition before Waqas Maqsood and Abbas Afridi struck early to send Usman Khawaja and Muhammad Akhlaq back to the pavilion. “I think they started pretty well with the ball, we knew we had to soak up the pressure. Amir is a world-class bowler, Waqas bowled really well with those hard lengths. And then we knew that they had a little bit of inexperience with the new boy coming in as well and take him down, you know go along to winning the game.”

The New Zealand batsman admired the depth of his franchise, who are now sitting on top of the points table with 12 points and have made it for the playoffs. 

“It’s not too hot because there is a bit of breeze. It’s not too bad but it’s just the humidity. It just saps your energy even today on the field I ran a few meters than I would’ve expected or would’ve liked. I think we adapted well to the conditions, we showed some really good character, the last game there. You know 20 for 5 after seven overs and to go on and put a good performance and then bowled really well. Just shows the depth that we have got in our group too.”