Daily Times

LAHORE: Imamaul Haq (106 off 97) and Babar Azam (114 off 83) hammered dazzling centuries as Pakistan turned tables to defeat Australia by six wickets in the second one-day international to level the three-match series 1-1 at Gaddafi Stadium here on Thursday evening. Chasing a mammoth target of 349, Pakistan raced home, against expectations, for the loss of four wickets (352). It was a brilliant performance and comeback by the home team after losing the first one on Tuesday by 88 runs. This was Pakistan’s highest run chase in their ODI history. Pakistan’s previous highest ODI chase was 327 achieved against Bangladesh at Mirpur in 2014. The third and final ODI will be held the same venue on Saturday (tomorrow). The victory is Pakistan’s first over Australia since Melbourne in January 2017. In between, they had lost 10 consecutive one-day internationals.

Opener Imam, who hit six boundaries and three sixes, put on a robust 118-run opening stand with Fakhar Zaman who made 67 off 64 balls to set the platform for the chase. Zaman smashed seven boundaries and two sixes during his knock before he was bowled by Marcus Stoinis. Undeterred, Imam completed his ninth hundred off 90 balls before he holed out at long-off in spinner Adam Zampa’s 35th over. Imam added 111 for the second wicket with Babar who reached his 15th ODI century with a single off Cameron Green, reaching the mark off 73 balls. He added 80 for the third wicket with Mohammad Rizwan before he was caught off Nathan Ellis with 40 needed off 34 balls. When Rizwan fell for 23, Pakistan still needed 32 but Khushdil Shah cracked 27 not out with two fours and as many sixes and Iftikhar Ahmed (eight not out) saw off the target in 49 overs.

McDermott and Travis help Australia score big: Earlier, Ben McDermott hit his maiden century to guide Australia to big total of 348 for the loss 08 scalps after put to bat first. The 27-year-old cracked 104 off 108 balls in only his fourth ODI, while Travis Head struck 89 and Marnus Labuschagne made 59. All-rounder Marcus Stoinis added the finishing touch with a quickfire 49, with five boundaries and a six. Pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi — who missed Pakistan’s 88-run defeat in the first ODI with a knee injury — gave the home side a breakthrough off the third ball of the innings when he trapped Aaron Finch leg-before without scoring. But Australia scored at will after that with McDermott and Travis adding 162 off 144 balls for the second wicket, hitting boundaries with ease and putting the Pakistan bowlers to the sword. Travis, who scored 101 on Tuesday, smashed five sixes and six fours before miscuing a sweep off leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood, being caught by Shaheen at short fine-leg. McDermott added another 74 with Labuschagne, and during that stand hit spinner Khushdil Shah over long-off boundary for six to complete a century off 102 balls. He was finally caught off pacer Mohammad Wasim. Despite Alex Carey and Cameron Green falling for five each, Sean Abbott chipped in with a 16-ball 28 to boost the total. Shaheen finished with 4-63 and Wasim took 2-56, but Pakistan’s Iftikhar and Khushdil conceded 95 runs in ten overs between them.

SCOREBOARD

AUSTRALIA INNINGS
Travis Head c Shaheen b Zahid 89
Aaron Finch lbw b Shaheen 0
Ben McDermott c Haris b Wasim 104
Marnus Labuschagne c Saud b Khushdil 59
Marcus Stoinis c Babar b Shaheen 49
Alex Carey c Rizwan b Wasim 5
Cameron Green c Iftikhar b Shaheen 5
Sean Abbott c Haris b Shaheen 28
Nathan Ellis not out 1
Adam Zampa not out 0
Yet to bat: Mitchell Swepson
EXTRAS (LB 6, W 2) 8
TOTAL (50 overs) 348-8
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-1, 2-163, 3-237, 4-272, 5-295, 6-301, 7-343, 8-347

BOWLING
Shaheen Shah Afridi 10-0-63-4
Haris Rauf 10-1-57-0
Mohammad Wasim 10-0-56-2
Zahid Mahmood 10-0-71-1
Iftikhar Ahmed 4-0-38-0
Khushdil Shah 6-0-57-1

PAKISTAN INNINGS
Fakhar Zaman b Stoinis 67
Imamul Haq c Labuschagne b Zampa 106
Babar Azam c Labuschagne b Ellis 114
Mohammad Rizwan c Abbott b Zampa 23
Khushdil Shah not out 27
Iftikhar Ahmed not out 11
Did not bat: Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Wasim, Zahid Mahmood, Haris Rauf
EXTRAS (B 1, LB 1, W 2) 4
TOTAL (49 overs) 352-4
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-118, 2-229, 3-309, 4-317

BOWLING
Sean Abbott 9-0-74-0
Cameron Green 6-0-35-0
Nathan Ellis 9-0-69-1
Travis Head 4-0-28-0
Adam Zampa 10-0-71-2
Mitchell Swepson 8-0-50-0
Marcus Stoinis 3-0-23-1
Umpires: Ahsan Raza, Aleem Dar
TV umpire: Asif Yaqoob
Match referee: Mohammad Javed