Tag: Karachi Kings

RAWALPINDI: A combined bowling and batting performance led Islamabad United to an important five-wicket victory over Karachi Kings in the 24th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

IU 151/5 (18.4 Overs)

Hasan bowls the penultimate over

IU 140/5 (18 Overs)

Mahmood replaces Hamza

IU 134/5 (17 Overs)

Muzarabani comes back

IU 128/5 (16 Overs)

Hamza replaces Hasan

IU 115/4 (15 Overs)

Mahmood replaces Muzarabani

IU 110/3 (14 Overs)

Hasan replaces Nawaz

IU 105/3 (13 Overs)

Muzarabani comes back

IU 97/2 (12 Overs)

Nawaz again

IU 85/2 (11 Overs)

Hasan replaces Mahmood

IU 78/2 (10 Overs)

Nawaz continues

IU 74/2 (9 Overs)

Mahmood continues

IU 65/2 (8 Overs)

More spin as Mohammad Nawaz comes to bowl his first

IU 57/2 (7 Overs)

Zahid Mahmood comes on

IU 47/2 (6 Overs)

Hasan Ali comes into the attack

IU 39/2 (5 Overs)

4.5: Mir Hamza bowls a slower one and Alex Hales goes too far across his stumps on leg and wants to play a full-blooded late cut but misses and the ball hits the timber.

Hamza bowls his third

IU 33/1 (4 Overs)

Muzarabani continues

IU 28/1 (3 Overs)

2.6: Mir Hamza bowls a length on middle, Munro just chips it in the air and gives a regulation catch to Shan Masood mid-on.

Hamza continues

IU 10/0 (2 Overs)

Blessing Muzarabani bowls from the other end

IU 4/0 (1 Over)

Colin Munro and Alex Hales come out to open for Islamabad United. Mir Hamza to bowl the first over.

KARACHI KINGS vs ISLAMABAD UNITED (2nd INNINGS)

RAWALPINDI: Kieron Pollard scored a gutsy 39 and recovered Karachi Kings to a formidable total against Islamabad United in the 24th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

KK 150/7 (20 Overs)

Hunain bowls the final over

KK 143/7 (19 Overs)

Mills bowls the penultimate over

KK 137/6 (18 Overs)

Hunain continues for his third

KK 124/5 (17 Overs)

Faheem bowls his last

KK 118/5 (16 Overs)

Hunain replaces Mills

KK 110/5 (15 Overs)

Faheem replaces Shadab

KK 107/5 (14 Overs)

Mills continues

KK 95/4 (13 Overs)

Shadab continues

KK 81/4 (12 Overs)

Mills comes back

KK 74/4 (11 Overs)

Shadab Khan brought himself into the attack

KK 66/4 (10 Overs)

Imad bowls his last

KK 59/4 (9 Overs)

9.2: Mills bowls a shorter delivery around off. Nawaz swivels and takes on the short ball but could not get on top of the bounce and got the splice of the bat as Munro takes a regulation catch.

Tymal Mills comes into the attack

KK 45/3 (8 Overs)

7.4: Skedaddles down the track to create his own length and sends it miles into the night-sky, Shadab Khan takes a few steps back at short cover and takes a well-judged catch.

Imad bowls his third

KK 44/2 (7 Overs)

Faheem continues

6.4: Pitched back of a length outside off, opened the face of the bat and sliced it in the air, Colin Munro charged in from deep point and took a brilliant running catch.

KK 38/1 (6 Overs)

Imad continues

KK 34/1 (5 Overs)

4.2: Shortish on off-stump, wanted to flick that across the line and instead got an edge, the ball soared towards third man, Imad judged it well while running back and hung onto it.

Faheem Ashraf into the attack

KK 33/0 (4 Overs)

Imad Wasim comes on

KK 27/0 (3 Overs)

Forde continues

KK 16/0 (2 Overs)

Hunain Shah bowls from the other end

KK 7/0 (1 Over)

Shan Masood and Tim Seifert come out to open the innings. Matthew Forde to bowl the first over.

KARACHI KINGS vs ISLAMABAD UNITED (1st INNINGS)

RAWALPINDI: Islamabad United have won the toss and elected to field against Karachi Kings in the 24th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

PLAYING XIs

Karachi Kings: Shan Masood (c), James Vince, Tim Seifert, Kieron Pollard, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Nawaz, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mir Hamza, Zahid Mahmood, Hasan Ali, Blessing Muzarabani.

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Islamabad United: Shadab Khan (c), Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Salman Ali Agha, Azam Khan (wk), Haider Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Hunain Shah, Matthew Forde, Tymal Mills.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 21, Islamabad United 17, Karachi Kings 4

READ: Usman Tariq reported for suspect bowling action

RAWALPINDI: Islamabad United have won the toss and elected to field against Karachi Kings in the 24th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

PLAYING XIs

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 21, Islamabad United 17, Karachi Kings 4

READ: Usman Tariq reported for suspect bowling action

Karachi Kings have named South Africa’s cricket legend Imran Tahir as the replacement for Tabraiz Shamsi in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9.

Shamsi, who was part of the Kings’ squad for the first seven matches, departs due to his participation in the domestic CSA’s T20 Challenge.

In his four appearances for the Kings, Tabraiz Shamsi picked up three wickets at an average of 52.33 with the best bowling figures of 2/42.

Imran Tahir, who previously played for Karachi Kings in the 2023 season, joins the squad in Islamabad, bringing his wealth of experience to bolster the team’s spin department.

For the unversed, the Kings are currently fifth in the PSL 9 standings with six points in seven matches.

The 2020 champions on Wednesday, got back on the winning track with a statement seven-wicket victory over Quetta Gladiators.

Chasing a paltry 119-run target, Karachi Kings completed the pursuit with 4.3 overs to spare when Shoaib Malik smashed Usman Tariq for six.

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Captain Shan Masood fell early in the chase with 13 runs on the board, however, Seifert and James Vince steadied the ship with a 50-run partnership off 39 balls.

Vince scored an anchoring 27 off 28 with the help of four boundaries before he fell to Akeal Hosein.

Seifert switched gears after the wicket and added 44 runs for the second wicket with Malik but could not finish the game as he fell with his team requiring 12 runs.

He top-scored for Karachi Kings with 49 runs from 31 balls, which featured eight boundaries including two sixes.

Malik scored played an anchoring 27-run knock from 20 balls and saw his team chase down the total in the 16th over.

For Quetta Gladiators, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed and Akeal Hosein picked one wicket each.

Earlier, Karachi Kings’ captain Shan Masood opted to bowl first after winning the toss, and the decision bore fruits as they booked the Gladiators on a paltry 118.

Hasan Ali led the bowling attack for Karachi Kings with four wickets while Blessing Muzarabani and Zahid Mahmood bagged two wickets each.

Karachi Kings Squad for PSL 9: Shan Masood (c), Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams, Mohammad Nawaz, Tim Siefert/Fawad Ali, James Vince, Hasan Ali, Shoaib Malik, Imran Tahir, Mohammad Amir Khan, Anwar Ali, Arafat Minhas, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Akhlaq, Muhammad Irfan Niazi, Sirajuddin, Saad Baig, and Blessing Muzarabani, Zahid Mehmood, Leus De Plooy, Mohammad Rohid.

READ: Phil Simmons ‘hopeful’ for top-four finish with shift in Kings’ momentum

RAWALPINDI: Karachi Kings head coach Phil Simmons was “hopeful” that the former champions would bank on the momentum and win their remaining matches to make it to the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 playoffs.

Simmons, while interacting with the media following Karachi Kings’ dominant seven-wicket victory over Quetta Gladiators, stated that things are coming together for the former champions.

“We are struggling to put everything together. I think today was much better especially [our] bowling and in the field. We should have maybe finished it earlier with the bat but things are coming together.

“Today was an excellent victory, the way we bowled is how we want to bowl in every game. Sometimes, it’s not gonna happen but it happened today. All the catches were taken. So, it is how we wanna play and yes, hopefully, this is the momentum we need to win the other games and get into [final] four.”

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Phil Simmons further revealed that Karachi Kings have “more or less” found the perfect combination to go about in their remaining HBL PSL 9 fixtures.

“I think, more or less that would be the first-string team. You know you’re looking to make sure, you have those three seamers plus this leg-spinner’s been bowling very well,” said Simmons.

“So, that’s great and we have Shoaib, he’s bowling. We are getting there. I think we are close to where we want to be,” he added.

Simmons then shed light on the impactful performances senior players like Shoaib Malik and Kieron Pollard gave for the Kings and expressed his hope that the youngsters would learn from their valuable experience.

“Well, the thing about it is that it’s still our rebuilding phase. So, we thought that you need some sort of experience with the youngsters,” stated Simmons.

“Fortunately for us, the senior guys are doing most of the work but I hope that the youngsters are learning from them. So, maybe in a couple of years when they are not here, we will have a full-fledged younger team but so far they’ve been doing the job so it is good,” he concluded.

READ: Lahore Qalandars knocked out of PSL 9 Playoffs race

RAWALPINDI: Hasan Ali took four wickets, followed by Tim Seifert’s quick 49-run knock to help Karachi Kings thump Quetta Gladiators by seven wickets in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

KK 121/3 (15.3 Overs)

Usman Tariq returns to bowl

KK 113/3 (15 Overs)

Hosein to bowl his last over

KK 109/3 (14 Overs)

13.5: Pitched full and bit wide outside off, Seifert went for the big shot and missed it but Sarfraz failed to gather the ball cleanly but did well to gather the ball and broke the stumps at the 2nd attempt.

Abrar to bowl his last over

KK 99/2 (13 Overs)

Hosein to bowl his third

KK 91/2 (12 Overs)

Usman Tariq returns

KK 82/2 (11 Overs)

Hasnain to bowl his second over

KK 68/2 (10 Overs)

Abrar to bowl his third

KK 65/2 (9 Overs)

8.2: Akeal changed his length and pace, it turned a bit with some extra bounce, Vince went for the cut and almost held his bat, it chipped in the air straight in the hands of Hasnain at gully.

Hosein returns

KK 62/1 (8 Overs)

Usman Tariq to bowl his second

KK 60/1 (7 Overs)

Mohammad Hasnain to bowl after the power play

KK 49/1 (6 Overs)

Abrar to bowl his second over

KK 39/1 (5 Overs)

Usman Tariq comes onto the bowl

KK 34/1 (4 Overs)

Amir continues from the other end

KK 16/1 (3 Overs)

Abrar Ahmed introduced into the attack

KK 14/1 (2 Overs)

1.5: It was a beauty from Amir, just outside off and moves away, Shan goes for the drive on the walk, edges it to the keeper and Sarfraz takes a simple catch behind the stumps

Mohammad Amir to bowl the second over

KK 9/0 (1 Over)

Shan Masood and Tim Seifert come out to open the innings. Akeal Hosein to bowl the first over.

KARACHI KINGS vs QUETTA GLADIATORS (2nd INNINGS)

RAWALPINDI: Hasan Ali took four wickets, supported by other bowlers to help Karachi Kings bundle Quetta Gladiators at a meagre 118 in the 22nd match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here on Wednesday.

QG 118 (19.1 Overs)

19.1: Lovely slower delivery on the middle stump, Usman Tariq goes for the big heave across the line, but he misses and Hamza hits the stumps.

Mir Hamza to bowl the last over

QG 118/7 (19 Overs)

18.3: Lovely slower delivery on the middle stump, Hasnain went for the big shot across the line, missed it and the ball hit the middle stump

18.1: Fuller in length just outside off, Hosein tried to go big down the ground, mistimed it and Pollard at long-off took a simple catch

Hasan Ali continues

QG 116/7 (18 Overs)

Mir Hamza to bowl his third

QG 111/7 (17 Overs)

Hasan Ali returns to the attack

QG 102/7 (16 Overs)

15.3: Tossed up, on leg stump, Amir went for the big shot across the line, he misses and the ball hits the leg stump

Mahmood continues

QG 97/6 (15 Overs)

14.4: Fuller in length just outside off, Rutherford hits on the up and wants to clear the long-off fielder and fence, but failed to time that one, Pollard at long-off took a simple catch

Muzarabani to bowl his last

QG 96/5 (14 Overs)

13.1: Rossouw goes and they are in trouble now. He went for the big shot down the ground, mistimed it and hit high in the air, Nawaz at long-off took a simple catch.

Mahmood returns

QG 89/4 (13 Overs)

Malik continues

QG 84/4 (12 Overs)

11.2: A huge mix-up between Sarfraz and Rossouw. Sarfraz ran with the shot but he was looking at the ball and turned back into his crease, Anwar threw at the bowling end, and Muzarbani picked up and ran towards the stumps and flicked the bails off.

Muzarabani returns to the attack

QG 80/3 (11 Overs)

Malik returns

QG 77/3 (10 Overs)

Zahid Mahmood continues

QG 70/3 (9 Overs)

8.4: Hasan Ali bowls back of a length on the leg stump, Nafay goes for the pull and it goes straight at the throat of Muzarbani at the fine leg.

8.1: Hasan Ali comes from around the wicket, fuller in length and takes the pace off, Saud goes for the big shot, hits the bottom of the bat and it goes high in the air, Shoaib Malik at deep midwicket took a good high catch.

Hasan Ali returns

QG 67/1 (8 Overs)

Zahid Mahmood to bowl his first over

QG 60/1 (7 Overs)

Malik returns to bowl

QG 53/1 (6 Overs)

Hasan Ali comes into the attack

QG 51/1 (5 Overs)

Muzarabani continues

QG 37/1 (4 Overs)

Mir Hamza continues from the other end

QG 28/1 (3 Overs)

2.1: Muzarabani pitched slightly short of length, Roy tried to play a big shot on the offside, got a top edge and it went high in the air, Hasan Ali at third man took a well-judged catch.

Blessing Muzarabani replaces Malik

QG 20/0 (2 Overs)

Mir Hamza to bowl from the other end

QG 9/0 (1 Over)

Saud Shakeel and Jason Roy come out to open the innings. Shoaib Malik to bowl the first over.

KARACHI KINGS vs QUETTA GLADIATORS (1st INNINGS)

RAWALPINDI: Karachi Kings have won the toss and elected to field against Quetta Gladiators in the 22nd match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

PLAYING XIs

Quetta Gladiators: Saud Shakeel, Jason Roy, Khawaja Nafay, Rilee Rossouw (c), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sherfane Rutherford, Akeal Hosein, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Amir, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed.

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Karachi Kings: Shan Masood (c), James Vince, Tim Seifert, Kieron Pollard, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Nawaz, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mir Hamza, Zahid Mahmood, Hasan Ali, Blessing Muzarabani.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 17, Quetta Gladiators 12, Karachi Kings 5

READ: Jonny Bairstow under pressure in 100th Test after lean India series

RAWALPINDI: Karachi Kings have won the toss and elected to field against Quetta Gladiators in the 22nd match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

PLAYING XIs

Quetta Gladiators: Saud Shakeel, Jason Roy, Khawaja Nafay, Rilee Rossouw (c), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sherfane Rutherford, Akeal Hosein, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Amir, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed.

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Karachi Kings: Shan Masood (c), James Vince, Tim Seifert, Kieron Pollard, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Nawaz, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mir Hamza, Zahid Mahmood, Hasan Ali, Blessing Muzarabani.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 17, Quetta Gladiators 12, Karachi Kings 5

READ: Jonny Bairstow under pressure in 100th Test after lean India series

ISLAMABAD: Karachi Kings included leg-spinner Zahid Mehmood in their PSL 9 squad as a full replacement for wicketkeeper batter Saad Baig.

Baig suffered a groin strain and has been advised to go through rehab by the medical panel.

The rehabilitation process of the young wicketkeeper has been started, owing to the medical panel’s advice that without complete rehab, there is a risk of this injury getting worse.

Saad Baig will remain with the Karachi Kings squad and continue his rehab process.

Meanwhile, Zahid Mehmood, who was included in Karachi Kings’ squad for the PSL 9 as a partial replacement initially, will now replace Baig in the squad for the complete season.

Mehmood has played two games for Karachi Kings and picked two wickets in the ongoing season.

Karachi Kings are currently sitting in the fifth position in the points table with four points in five matches after their 20-run defeat against leaders Multan Sultans at the iconic National Bank Stadium yesterday.

The 20-run victory meant Multan Sultans became the first team to qualify for the Playoffs in the ongoing ninth edition of the marquee league.

Chasing a mammoth 190, the Kings could accumulate 169 for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

The home side got off to an unwanted start to the pursuit as they lost two wickets — Tim Seifert (1) and James Vince (7) — inside the batting powerplay with just 28 runs on the board.

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Following the slump, skipper Shan Masood partnered with Shoaib Malik to anchor the run chase briefly.

The pair batted sensibly and added 53 runs for the third wicket before Usama Mir dismissed Masood in the 10th over to dent Kings’ recovery.

Masood scored an anchoring 36 off 29 deliveries, hitting five boundaries.

Malik then put together a brief partnership with Leus du Plooy (12) before both fell in successive overs, resulting in the Kings slipping to 99/5 in 13 overs.

Veteran all-rounder Malik top-scored for the Kings with a 28-ball 38 which featured five boundaries.

The Kings then lost another wicket in the 17th over when Muhammad Irfan Khan returned after scoring a 19-ball 23.

Hasan Ali and Mohammad Nawaz offered valuable resistance in the death over with a brilliant 41-run partnership which lasted on the penultimate delivery but the Kings fell short of tasting their third victory in the PSL 9.

Hasan scored a brisk 17 off eight deliveries while Nawaz remained unbeaten with a 17-ball 27, featuring three boundaries and a six.

For the Sultans, Usama Mir bagged two wickets while David Willey, Chris Jordan, Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Ali struck out a batter apiece.

READ: Barcelona lose Frenkie de Jong, Pedri ahead of Napoli Champions League clash

KARACHI: Karachi Kings’ assistant coach Ravi Bopara on Sunday, threw his weight behind experienced all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz to “come good” for the side in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9, terming him “credit in the bank”.

Bopara addressed the post-match press conference after Karachi Kings’ 20-run defeat against leaders Multan Sultans at the iconic National Bank Stadium and opened up on the ongoing rough patch of Nawaz.

“Nawaz has been playing T20 cricket for many many years, playing the PSL from the day it started,” said Bopara.

“So, he’s built, he’s credit in the bank. Someone like him, who’s played international cricket, you got to give them a run, you can’t just drop them after four to five games. They’ve got to have a long run. They deserve to have a long run when they’ve played [so] much cricket.

“Lower averages say that people at that level at international cricket, they come good at some stage. And, you got to back them long enough to give them a chance to get to that stage.”

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Ravi Bopara further commented on the revamped Karachi Kings’ squad and the rebuilding process, the former champions started since the start of this year’s edition and shared that he was impressed with some of the young players like Muhammad Irfan Khan.

“I’ve been impressed with some of the young guys like [Irfan Khan] Niazi. He’s come such a long way from where he was last year,” Bopara stated.

“The first time I saw him was last year and where he is today, is a big difference. He’s growing in confidence. I personally feel that he’s probably the best fielder in Pakistan as well and he showed it in this competition how good he is.

“He saves us easily seven to 10 or even more runs in every innings. And, his batting is really coming on and he’s becoming more and more powerful and confident.

“He’s certainly the future for Karachi Kings and some of the young bowlers coming through as well. Unfortunately, they haven’t had a chance to play that much. We can’t fit them in at the moment but hopefully, during the competition, you may see some of the new guys come through.”

READ: Michael Clarke gears up for commentary stint in PSL 9

KARACHI: Usman Khan’s belligerent century, followed by a combined bowling performance led Multan Sultans to a 20-run victory over Karachi Kings in the 19th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 here at National Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The 20-run victory meant Multan Sultans became the first team to qualify for the Playoffs in the ongoing ninth edition of the marquee league.

Chasing a mammoth 190, the Kings could accumulate 169 for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

The home side got off to an unwanted start to the pursuit as they lost two wickets — Tim Seifert (1) and James Vince (7) — inside the batting powerplay with just 28 runs on the board.

Following the slump, skipper Shan Masood partnered with Shoaib Malik to anchor the run chase briefly.

The pair batted sensibly and added 53 runs for the third wicket before Usama Mir dismissed Masood in the 10th over to dent Kings’ recovery.

Masood scored an anchoring 36 off 29 deliveries, hitting five boundaries.

Malik then put together a brief partnership with Leus du Plooy (12) before both fell in successive overs, resulting in the Kings slipping to 99/5 in 13 overs.

Veteran all-rounder Malik top-scored for the Kings with a 28-ball 38 which featured five boundaries.

The Kings then lost another wicket in the 17th over when Muhammad Irfan Khan returned after scoring a 19-ball 23.

Hasan Ali and Mohammad Nawaz offered valuable resistance in the death over with a brilliant 41-run partnership which lasted on the penultimate delivery but the Kings fell short of tasting their third victory in the PSL 9.

Hasan scored a brisk 17 off eight deliveries while Nawaz remained unbeaten with a 17-ball 27, featuring three boundaries and a six.

For the Sultans, Usama Mir bagged two wickets while David Willey, Chris Jordan, Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Ali struck out a batter apiece.

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Sultans’ captain Mohammad Rizwan’s decision to bat first paid dividends for his side as they racked up a massive total of 189/3 on the board, courtesy of a marathon second-wicket stand.

The Sultans had a dismal start to their innings as they lost Reeza Hendricks (13) with just 16 runs on the board in the second over.

Following the early debacle, Usman joined his skipper Rizwan in the middle and the duo launched an astounding counterattack.

The pair batted for more than 15 overs and added 148 runs to the Sultans’ total.

Usman was the core aggressor of the magnificent partnership while Rizwan anchored through before finally perishing in the 18th over after a cautious half-century.

He scored 58 off 44 deliveries with the help of five boundaries.

The Sultans then sustained another blow to their batting expedition when Iftikhar Ahmed (4) perished on the first delivery of the penultimate over, bowled by Hasan Ali.

But Usman Khan stood his ground firm and brought up his second PSL century in the final over with a six over deep square leg off Mir Hamza.

Usman carried his bat all the way through and scored an unbeaten 106 of 59 deliveries, laced up with 15 boundaries including five sixes.

Blessing Muzarabani led the bowling attack for the Kings while Hasan made one scalp.

For the unversed, Multan Sultans are at the summit of the PSL 9 standings with 10 points in six matches while Karachi Kings are fifth with four points in five matches.

READ: Michael Clarke gears up for commentary stint in PSL 9