SHARJAH: Aaron Finch fired a century as Australia beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the first one-day international at Sharjah on Friday.

Captain Finch scored 116 to help Australia chase down a target of 281 in 49 overs. Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb were both not out with respective scores of 91 and 30.

Sunday’s second ODI will also be held in Sharjah.

Scores: Pakistan 280-5 in 50 overs; Australia 281-2 in 49 overs.

Pakistan’s total score was built around a maiden century from Haris Sohail who hit six boundaries and a six.

The 30-year-old made 115-ball 101 not out in his comeback match after returning home from the South Africa tour with a knee injury last year, lifting Pakistan to a fighting total in their 50 overs.

Pakistan, having rested six of their key players including regular skipper Sarfraz Ahmed to give them break before the World Cup 2019, won the toss on a flat Sharjah stadium pitch.

Haris, who reached 1,000 runs in his 27th one-day international when on 40, added 98 for the third wicket with Umar Akmal who made 50-ball 49 in his first international match for two years.

Haris took a single to complete his hundred in the last over, finishing with six boundaries and a six. He made his previous best of 89 not out against Zimbabwe in Lahore in 2015.

Pakistan had handed one-day debuts to opener Shan Masoor and Mohammad Abbas — who have played 15 and 14 Tests respectively.

Masood put on 35 in an opening stand with Imam-ul-Haq (17) before off-spinner Nathan Lyon dismissed Imam in the seventh over, caught and bowled.

Masood, who hit five boundaries in his 62-ball 40, was bowled by paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile who finished with 1-38 in his 10 overs.

Umar, who last played for Pakistan in Australia in January 2017, smashed three sixes in one Jhye Richardson over but fell one short of his half century.

Skipper Shoaib Malik fell for 11 and Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim scored 28 each.

Wasim hit four boundaries and a six during his 13-ball unbeaten knock, helping Pakistan to 55 runs in the last five overs.

Scoreboard

Pakistan

Imam-ul-Haq c and b Lyon17

Shan Masood b Coulter-Nile40

Haris Sohail not out101

Umar Akmal c Finch b Coulter-Nile49

Shoaib Malik b Maxwell11

Faheem Ashraf c Stoinis b Maxwell28

Imad Wasim not out28

Extras: (lb1, w 5)6

Total: (for five wkts; 50 overs)280

Did not bat: Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas

Fall of wickets: 1-35 (Imam), 2-78 (Masood), 3-176 (Umar), 4-190 (Malik), 5-239 (Ashraf)

Bowling: Richardson 8-1-65-1 (1w), Coulter-Nile 10-0-61-2 (1w), Lyon 10-0-38-1, Maxwell 10-0-57-1 (2w), Zampa 10-0-44-0, Stoinis 2-0-14-0 (1w)

Australia

Usman Khawaja c Malik b Ashraf24

A. Finch c Rizwan b Abbas116

S. Marsh not out91

P. Handscomb not out30

Extras: (b4, lb8, w8)20

Total: (for two wkts; 49 overs)281

Did not bat: P. Handscomb, G. Maxwell, M. Stoinis, A. Carey, Coulter-Nile, J. Richardson, N. Lyon, A. Zampa

Fall of wickets: 1-63 (Khawaja), 2-235 (Finch)

Bowling: Amir 9-0-59-0, Abbas 10-0-44-1, Imad 10-1-50-0 (7w), Ashraf 9-0-50-1 (1w), Yasir 10-0-56-0, Malik 1-0-10-0

Umpires: Michael Gough (ENG) and Ahsan Raza (PAK)

Tv umpire: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2019