Karachi failed with the bat, admits coach Arthur

Side became first team to be eliminated in play-off after defeat against Islamabad

Karachi Kings coach Mickey Arthur feels poor batting and difficulty in finding the right combination were the two main reasons that led to a difficult campaign for his side in the inaugural HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Kings became the second team to be knocked out of the tournament when they were thrashed by Islamabad United by nine wickets in the second play-off at the Dubai International Stadium.

Lahore had been the first team to bow out of the competition when they were beaten by Islamabad in the final match of the group stages. Karachi finished fourth courtesy of Lahore’s loss and managed to get through to the play-offs by the skin of their teeth.



“We were just not good enough with the bat throughout and that is the main reason why we couldn't finish off matches,” said Arthur. “We tried a couple of options at the top of the order. We made a few changes but nothing worked for us. To be honest, we were not able to find the right playing combination.”

‘Malik wanted to focus on his game’

Kings’ problems increased before they played the all-important eliminator as original skipper Shoaib Malik stepped down. The in-form Ravi Bopara took over but the change of leadership did not improve the Kings’ fortunes.

Asked why Malik resigned at such an odd time, Arthur said that Malik decided to concentrate on his game as he felt he was not able to deliver the goods and perform as he should have done.



‘Will improve next year’

The former South Africa coach said that the team knows its weaknesses, and promised work would be done next year right from the draft.

“We'll come up with a better strategy in next year’s draft, as Karachi is a big franchise and we want to put it where it should be,” he said. “We've seen the potential in the youngsters and next year we will bounce back.”

The 47-year-old hinted at more involvement from local players next time around. “I've spoken to the owners that we would need a week or 10 days to work with local players to get to know their quality, strength and comfort zone,” he said. “We'll have a much better campaign next year.”