BRISBANE: Pakistan batsman Babar Azam bounced back to form while Sharjeel Khan Umar Akmal also hit half-centuries as the tourists completed a 196-run flogging of a youthful Cricket Australia XI on Tuesday in Brisbane.

In the team’s only warm-up game ahead of the five-match ODI series against Australia, Babar topped the scoreboard with a 113-ball 98 that included 12 boundaries, as Pakistan piled on 334-7 from their 50 overs.

Albeit against an inexperienced team, his runs could not have come at a better time for the No.3 after averaging just 11.33 across his six Test innings in Australia.

Opener Sharjeel (62) and Umar Akmal (54) also blasted half-centuries before they were each dismissed after 39 balls, while veteran Shoaib Malik struck 49 from 60 balls.

Paceman Hasan Ali then took 3-18 off 6.2 overs, as the visitors comfortably ran through the home side at the Allan Border Field.

Shoaib (2-20) and spinner Imad Wasim (2-23) also claimed two wickets apiece to round out the win.

Wicket-keeper Josh Inglis provided the only real defiance for the inexperienced CA XI, smashing 70 off 64 balls, before they were dismissed in the 37th over for 138.

Australia’s ODI series against Pakistan gets underway at the Gabba on Friday.

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN:

Asad Shafiq c and b Thornton 4 Sharjeel Khan run out 62 Babar Azam c Sangha b Thornton 98 Shoaib Malik c Inglis b Green 49 Umar Akmal c Inglis b Thornton 54 Mohammad Rizwan not out 22 Imad Wasim c Meredith b Green 15 Mohammad Nawaz c Meredith b Green 12 Azhar Ali not out 1

EXTRAS (LB-5, W-11, NB-1) 17

TOTAL (for seven wkts, 50 overs) 334

FALL OF WKTS: 1-12, 2-95, 3-173, 4-274, 5-280, 6-308, 7-330.

DID NOT BAT: Hasan Ali, Rahat Ali.

BOWLING: Thornton 10-1-69-3 (1nb, 2w); Meredith 9-0-62-0 (1w); Sutherland 3-0-30-0; Green 10-0-59-3 (7w); Hinchliffe 4-0-23-0; Bosisto 7-0-41-0; Sangha 7-0-45-0 (1w)

CRICKET AUSTRALIA XI:

T.J. Dean lbw b Imad 0 W.J. Pucovski c Asad b Hasan 10 S.J. Raphael lbw b Imad 4 W.G. Bosisto b Hasan 3 J.J.S. Sangha c Sharjeel b Malik 20 J.P. Inglis lbw b Azhar 70 C.D. Hinchliffe b Malik 4 W. Sutherland c Azhar b Nawaz 9 C. Green c Sharjeel b Hasan 8 H.T.R.Y. Thornton b Rahat 5 R.P. Meredith not out 2

EXTRAS (W-3) 3

TOTAL (all out, 36.2 overs) 138

FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-8, 3-19, 4-26, 5-73, 6-95, 7-118, 8-126, 9-133.

BOWLING: Imad Wasim 6-0-23-2 (2w); Hasan Ali 6.2-0-18-3 (1w); Rahat Ali 7-1-29-1; Shoaib Malik 6-0-20-2; Mohammad Nawaz 7-1-37-1; Azhar Ali 4-0-11-1.

RESULT: Pakistan won by 196 runs.

UMPIRES: D.M. Koch and S.J. Nogajski

MATCH REFEREE: S.J.A. Taufel.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2017