ABU DHABI: Babar Azam scored a second successive century to lift Pakistan to 219 for 9 in the second One-day Interna­tional against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

The 23-year-old right-hander made a fighting 133-ball 101 and added an invaluable 109 runs in a crucial seventh-wicket stand with Shadab Khan (52 not out) after Pakistan were struggling at 101 for 6 on a sluggish Sheikh Zayed Stadium pitch.

Babar followed up his 103 which anchored Pakistan’s 83-run win in the first game in Dubai on Friday, giving them a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Pakistan, who won the toss and batted, found the going tough as they lost half the side at the end of 20 overs for just 79, but Babar and Shadab led the fightback.

Babar brought up his seventh One-day International hundred off 130 balls — his fourth this year — with a sharp double in the 49th over.

Shadab — who scored 14 not out in his only previous ODI innings — played a support role during which he hit just one boundary off 68 balls.

Sri Lankan new-ball bowlers Lahiru Gamage (4-57) and Suranga Lakmal (1-42) made early inroads with three wickets inside first power-play of ten overs.

Gamage had the left-handed Fakhar Zaman dismissed for 11 and Mohammad Hafeez for eight while Lakmal dismissed out-of-form Ahmed Shehzad for eight.

Medium-pacer Thisara Perera (2-34) then struck twice, removing Shoaib Malik (11) and Sarfraz Ahmed (five) to leave Pakistan in a spot of bother. Babar added 22 for the sixth wicket with Imad Wasim (ten) before his stand with Shadab gave Pakistan’s total some respectability at the dinner break.

Sri Lanka have gone into this game with a run of 17 losses in 22 matches, including 5-0 series defeats against South Africa and India.

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN:
Fakhar Zaman c Mendis b Gamage 11
Ahmed Shehzad c Siriwardana b Lakmal 8
Babar Azam c Mendis b Gamage 101
Mohammad Hafeez c Dickwella b Gamage 8
Shoaib Malik c Dickwella b Perera 11
Sarfraz Ahmed b Perera 5
Imad Wasim lbw b Vandersay 10
Shadab Khan not out 52
Hasan Ali run out 7
Rumman Raees c Dananjaya b Gamage 0
Junaid Khan not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-3) 6
TOTAL (for nine wkts, 50 overs) 219
FALL OF WKTS: 1-17, 2-27, 3-40, 4-71, 5-79, 6-101, 7-210, 8-218, 9-218.
BOWLING: Lakmal 10-0-42-1 (2w); Gamage 10-0-57-4 (1w); Vandersay 9-0-44-1; Perera 10-0-34-2; Dananjaya 9-0-30-0; Siriwardana 2-0-9-0.

SRI LANKA: N. Dickwella, W.U. Tharanga, L.D. Chandimal, H.D.R.L. Thirimanne, B.K.G. Mendis, T.A.M. Siriwardana, N.L.T.C. Perera, A. Dananjaya, J.D.F. Vandersay R.A.S, Lakmal, P.L.S. Gamage.

UMPIRES: Shozab Raza (Pakistan) and R.A. Kettleborough (England).
TV UMPIRE: S. Ravi (India).
MATCH REFEREE: A.J. Pycroft (Zimbabwe).

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2017