KARACHI, Jan 15: Young Nasir Jamshed put himself into contention for international debut with a brilliant 182 on Tuesday as the PCB Patron’s XI batsmen sent the hapless Zimbabweans on a leather chase on the second day of the four-day match at the DHA Stadium here.

The left-handed Nasir looked every bit the part of an opening batsman that Pakistan are searching for to partner Salman Butt in a great exhibition of batting as he belted 16 fours and seven sixes in a career-best 240-ball knock that helped the Patron’s XI close at 361-3 in reply to Zimbabwe’s first-innings total of 209.

The Zimbabweans, who take on Pakistan in a five-match One-day International series from Monday, now face an arduous task of escaping defeat in the tour opener. Already in front by 152 runs, Patron’s XI skipper Shahid Afridi, padded up to bat next, has clearly no intention of declaring the innings early on day three.

The tourists are already handicapped by an injury to batsman Sean Williams, who has been off the field since late Monday after twisting his ankle while fielding. He will bat in the second innings, if necessary, with a runner.

Resuming at 65 for no wicket, Khalid Latif lost a golden opportunity of making a significant score when he was caught behind after adding just one run to his overnight tally of 17.

But Nasir, now joined by Afaq Raheem, prospered as the day progressed. He was particularly severe on the spinners as five of his leg-side sixes came off the experienced slow left-armer Ray Price, and the remaining two off leg-spinner Timycen Maruma.

The 18-year-old opener, who however rode his luck not once but thrice, took heavy toll of a Zimbabwe bowling attack that appeared to be everything but threatening.

Dominating from the onset, Nasir, who after being let off early on Monday evening, survived two more dropped catches to bat with freedom during the course of his fourth hundred in first-class cricket.

Afaq, the 22-year-old right-hander, also made his mark with a compact 77 after taking 28 deliveries to open his account, while playing second fiddle to Nasir during the 205-run stand for the second wicket in 223 minutes.

Afaq was held at mid-off on by Christopher Mpofu off medium-pacer Elton Chigumbura the stroke of tea after striking 10 boundaries in a 201-ball innings.

Nasir soon followed after the interval when he miscued a drive to wide mid-off after batting for 341 minutes, much to the Zimbabweans’ relief.

But Naumanullah, the best batsman of the recently concluded Quaid-i-Azam Trophy with 949 runs, looked in ominous touch as he creamed four boundaries in making 46 by stumps.

Fawad Alam, who is batting on 28, has so far added 68 with Naumanullah in a partnership that ensured Zimbabwe stayed on the backstage for the rest of this match.

Satisfied with his effort, Nasir was understandably happy when asked whether he was ready to make his Pakistan debut.

“Definitely this knock has given me the confidence to stake claim for the coming one-day series. I was under some pressure at the start with the selectors also watching, but once in the groove, I was keen to make a big score,” Nasir, who was a member of the Pakistan Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2006, told reporters.

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