Pakistan concluded its inning on 219 for nine wickets after choosing to bat against Sri Lanka, Babar Azam scored another century to stable the inning as openers fell early in the second One Day International (ODI) being played in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
This is Azam’s second century in succession. During the inning, Shadab Khan also registered his maiden ODI fifty, helping in taking the score to 219 with his contribution of 52 off 68.
Earlier, Imad Wasim followed Shoaib Malik and skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed to the pavilion after being judged lbw on Jeffrey Vandersay's ball. He scored 10 runs.
Mohammad Hafeez was caught behind on the last ball of the first power play for eight, right after he hit Gamage for a straight six.
Zaman was out for 11, caught in the slips facing Lahiru Gamage, bringing in the in-form Babar Azam. Ahmed Shehzad was able to make only eight runs before being caught trying to hit Suranga Lakmal for a four.
Experienced Shoaib Malik’s swashbuckling 61-ball 81 and a return to form 103 by Babar Azam lifted Pakistan to 292-6 in the first ODI in Dubai on Friday before they restricted Sri Lanka to 209-8 for an 83-run win.
The match was Pakistan’s first ODI since winning the top eight-nation Champions Trophy in England in June this year.
Fast-rising paceman Hasan Ali — declared player of the Champions trophy with 13 wickets — finished with 3-36 while left-armer Rumman Raees Khan took 3-49 to derail Sri Lanka.
Pakistan will retain the same combination despite opener Ahmed Shehzad failing to score on Friday.
Another clinical all-round display is what Pakistan will be hoping for in order to take the series further away from Sri Lanka’s grasp.
The wicket at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium is generally on the slower side, which means a lot of hard work for both batsmen and bowlers. The last time Pakistan played an ODI at this venue, they had scored in excess of 300 against West Indies and had restricted their opponents to 172 with spinners doing the bulk of the damage.
The remaining matches will be played in Abu Dhabi (Oct 18) and Sharjah (Oct 20 and 23).
The two teams will also play three Twenty20 Internationals, two in Abu Dhabi (October 26 and 27) while the last is scheduled for Lahore on October 29.
But Sri Lankan players had shown reservations over going to Lahore for security fears and a final decision is expected later this week.
Pakistan Cricket Board has been endeavouring to bring international cricket back amidst improved security in the country.
Pakistan have been forced to play their home games in United Arab Emirates since 2009 terrorists’ attack on the Sri Lankan team bus suspended international cricket in the country.
Follow live updates of the match here.
Teams (from):
PAKISTAN: Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Rumman Raees Khan, Junaid Khan, Usman Khan Shinwari, Imam-ul-Haq, Haris Sohail, Fahim Ashraf.
SRI LANKA: Niroshan Dickwella, Upul Tharanga (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana, Thisara Perera, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Gamage, Chamara Kapugedera, Seekkuge Prasanna, Dushmantha Chameera, Vishwa Fernando.
Umpires: Shozab Raza (Pakistan) and Richard Kettleborough (England).
TV umpire: Sundaram Ravi (India).
Match referee: Andy Pycroft (Zimbabwe).
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