SHARJAH: Babar Azam hit his maiden century while spinner Mohammad Nawaz grabbed four wickets as Pakistan thrashed the West Indies by 111 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method in the first day-night international on Friday.

Azam’s 139-ball 120 helped Pakistan post a challenging 284-9 in a match reduced to 49 overs a side due to a 70-minute floodlight failure at Sharjah Stadium in the UAE.

West Indies — set 287 to win — never got close and folded at 175 in 38.4 overs.

The victory gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, building on their 3-0 whitewash in the Twenty20 series.

Like in the Twenty20 matches, the West Indian batsmen had little clue against Pakistan’s spin bowling, with only Marlon Samuels (46) and Johnson Charles (20) offering any resistance.

Nawaz ran through the batting with figures of 4-42 in his ten overs, easily his best bowling figures in his six one-day internationals.—AFP

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN:

Azhar Ali c Ramdin b Gabriel. 0 Sharjeel Khan c Narine b Benn. 54 Babar Azam c Pollard b C.R. Brathwaite. 120 Shoaib Malik c Benn b Narine. 6 Sarfraz Ahmed c Ramdin b Holder. 35 Mohammad Rizwan run out. 11 Imad Wasim b C. Brathwaite. 24 M. Nawaz c Holder b C.R. Brathwaite. 19 Wahab Riaz run out. 0 Mohammad Amir not out. 3 Hasan Ali not out . 2

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-3, W-5, NB-1). 10

TOTAL (for nine wkts, 49 overs). 284

WEST INDIES (target: 287):

J. Charles c Sarfraz b Amir. 20 K.C. Brathwaite c Sarfraz b Hasan. 14 D.M. Bravo b Nawaz. 12 M.N. Samuels b Wahab. 46 D. Ramdin c Azhar b Nawaz. 8 K.A. Pollard c Sharjeel b Nawaz. 9 J.O. Holder b Imad. 1 C.R. Brathwaite b Nawaz. 15 S.P. Narine c Imad b Hasan. 23 S.J. Benn not out. 16 S.T. Gabriel b Hasan. 2

EXTRAS (LB-6, W-2, NB-1). 9

TOTAL (all out, 38.4 overs). 175

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2016