Azam lifts Pakistan as lights go out

SHARJAH: Babar Azam knocked his maiden century to guide Pakistan to 284-9 in the first of three day-night internationals against the West Indies on Friday, in a match hit by floodlight failure in Sharjah.

The 21-year-old right-hander notched a 139-ball 120 and added 82 for the second wicket with Sharjeel Khan (54) and 99 for the fourth wicket with Sarfraz Ahmed (35) after Pakistan were sent into bat on a flat pitch.

Pakistan were 260-6 after 44.3 overs when a floodlight failure stopped play for 70 minutes, before the match was reduced to 49-overs-a-side.Under the Duckworth-Lewis method, West Indies need 287 to win in 49 overs.

Azam hit eight boundaries and three sixes in a commanding knock before he was smartly caught one handed by Kieron Pollard at long-on boundary, lobbing the ball inside as he was going over the ropes to complete a stunning catch.

Azam’s two strong partnerships laid the foundation of the total after Pakistan lost skipper Azhar Ali off the first ball of the match, caught behind off paceman Shannon Gabriel.Sharjeel hit six boundaries and three sixes in an aggressive 43-ball knock before miscuing a drive off spinner Sulieman Benn and was caught at short third man.

Shoaib Malik fell to spinner Sunil Narine for six and from 93-2 both Azam and Ahmed batted sensibly, rotating the strike and hitting boundaries off bad balls.Ahmed’s 45-ball knock had just one boundary.

Azam, whose previous best of 83 came against New Zealand at Auckland earlier this year, reached his hundred with a single off Narine.Imad Wasim (24) and Mohammad Nawaz (19) gave final touches after the resumption as Pakistan added 24 more runs after the delay.Paceman Carlos Brathwaite was the pick of the West Indies bowlers with 3-54.

West Indies won toss

Pakistan

*Azhar Ali c Ramdin b Gabriel         0

Sharjeel Khan c Narine b Benn       54

Babar Azam c Pollard b C Brathwaite         120

Shoaib Malik c Benn b Narine         6

†Sarfraz Ahmed c Ramdin b Holder 35

M Rizwan run out      11

Imad Wasim b C Brathwaite 24

M Nawaz (3) c Holder b C Brathwaite        19

Wahab Riaz run out   0

M Amir not out         3

Hasan Ali not out      2

Extras (b 1, lb 3, w 5, nb 1) 10

Total (9 wickets; 49 overs)  284

Fall: 1-0, 2-82, 3-93, 4-192, 5-211, 6-239, 7-269, 8-269, 9-281

Bowling: Gabriel 8-0-53-1 (1nb, 2w); Holder 7-0-35-1; C Brathwaite 10-0-54-3; Benn 10-0-46-1; Narine 10-0-58-1 (1w); Pollard 4-0-34-0 (1w)

West Indies team

J Charles, K C Brathwaite, D M Bravo, M N Samuels, †D Ramdin, K A Pollard, *J O Holder, C R Brathwaite, S P Narine, S J Benn, S T Gabriel

ODI debut: K C Brathwaite (West Indies)

Umpires: Ahsan Raza (Pakistan) and R S A Palliyaguruge (Sri Lanka). TV umpire: S Ravi (India). Match referee: A J Pycroft (Zimbabwe)