Sharjah: Twenty-one-year old Babar Azam’s maiden century and disciplined bowling led by left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz ensured Pakistan an emphatic 111 runs victory (DL Method) over West Indies in the first match of the three match series at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday night.
It was another dismal batting performance from West Indies batsmen following their 3-0 defeat in the Twenty20 series to Pakistan. West Indies could muster only 175 runs in 38.4 overs chasing Pakistan’s target of 287 runs in 49 overs.
Pakistan had posted 284 for 9 before a floodlight failure stopped play for 70 minutes reducing the match into a 49 over contest. As per the Duckworth Lewis calculations for the time lost, the West Indies target was revised to 287 in 49 overs.
Azam’s knock of 120 runs came off 131 balls with eight fours and three sixes. Chasing the target, West Indies lost their first wicket of opener Johnson Charles at the score on 27. He edged Mohammad Amir’s angling delivery into the hands wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmad for 20.
Darren Bravo joined debutant opener Kraigg Brathwaite and took the score to 41 when right-arm medium pacer Hasan Ali forced Kraigg on 14 to edge to wicketkeeper while attempting to run the ball down to third man. Bravo played 28 balls to score 12 runs and got bowled to slow left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz to a delivery which kept a bit low.
Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin added 35 runs in 6.2 overs before Ramdin hit into the hands of Azhar Ali in the covers for 8. Kieron Pollard lasted just seven balls and hit Nawaz to Sharjeel Khan at deep point. Half the side back in the pavilion for 99 at the half way mark, defeat loomed large over West Indies. Their skipper Jason Holder got bowled to Imad Wasim’s drifter and allowed Pakistan to take complete control over the match. Marlon Samuels hit a fighting 46 runs before Wahab Riaz clean bowled him with sheer pace. Nawaz returned with figures of 4 for 42 backed by pacer Hasan Ali with 3 for 14.
Earlier, put into bat by West Indies, Pakistan opener Sharjeel Khan cracked a breezy 54 runs off 43 balls with six boundaries and three sixes and put on an 82 runs partnership for the second wicket with Azam. Sarfraz Ahmad then hit 35 runs off 45 balls and added another 99 runs with Azam for the fourth wicket.
A stupendous catch by Pollard at long on ended Azam’s glorious innings. Though the momentum of Azam’s shot took Pollard out of the boundary after he plucked the shot from the air, Pollard came back from outside the ropes and completed the catch inside the field. The match got off to a sensational start with Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali falling to the first ball of the match from Shannon Gabriel. It was brilliant delivery moving away late and Ali edged it to the waiting gloves of wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin. One-drop batsman Azam joined left-handed Sharjeel Khan, who hit the first boundary of the match off skipper Holder in the second over. He straight drove Holder with elegance and perfect timing.
In the fifth over, Sharjeel played a shot between cover and point of Gabriel with such brilliance that almost all the fans stood up and clapped for him. Before the fans settled back on to their seats, Sharjeel hit the last ball over mid-off for another boundary. Khan also hit Brathwaite for another elegant boundary with exquisite timing past point. Braithwaite’s first over yielded ten runs.
Sharjeel hit Braithwaite for the first six of the match in the ninth over with absolute power over long on. He also hit Holder for two more boundaries in the tenth over. His timing was so perfect that all his shots made the fielders watch helplessly as the ball raced to the boundary. At 60 for 1 in the first ten overs, Pakistan wiped away the impact of the loss of their captain to the first ball.
Sharjeel reached his half century by lifting off spinner Sunil Narine over long on. So dominant was Sharjeel that he scored 54 off the 82 runs partnership in 14.1 overs. His knock ended when left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn had him caught at third man by Narine off a top edge.
The in-form Shoaib Malek joined Azam who had played second fiddle to Sharjeel. Benn and Narine bowled brilliantly beating the batsmen with Azam even surviving a leg before review and Malek surviving a close stumping. The partnership lasted only 11 runs with Malek falling to Narine’s carom ball. Malek playing for an off spin edged to Benn at slip for six.
Sarfraz Ahmed survived a stumping chance off Benn at his score on five. Runs became hard to come but Azam reached his half century in 74 balls. At the half way mark Pakistan were 125 for 3. Azam would have got run out at 63 trying to steal a single but Brathwaite throw failed to hit the stumps.
Pakistan’s 150 came in the 30th over. Sarfraz picked the gaps beautifully and the pair ran between the wickets well to keep the scoreboard moving fast.
In the 33rd over, Azam went on his knees to slog Kieron Pollard for a six over midwicket. The next ball he hit to square leg boundary and record his highest score in One Day International beating his highest of 83 against New Zealand in Auckland this year. The pair put on 99 runs in 17.2 overs when Sarfraz attempting to slog after coming down the track, lost his balance and inner edged a slower delivery from Holder to wicketkeeper for 35.
Though Mohammad Rizwan got run out for 11, Azam lifted Benn for a six over long on to accelerate the score. With ten overs to go Pakistan were 217 for 5. At 260 for 6 in 44.3 over play had to be stopped due to floodlight failure.
