ROTTERDAM: Pakistan’s left-handed starter Fakhar Zaman led the way with a magnificent century, while captain Babar Azam starred with a brilliant half-century to beat Pakistan in a competitive 314-6 in the opening innings of the first ODI against the Netherlands.
Pakistan, after winning the toss, opted to bat first against the hosts and was stopped by a poor start when the touring team lost their first Imam-ul-Haq in the sixth inning with a score of 10.
After their departure, Fakhar and Babar anchored the innings for Pakistan as the pair added 168 runs for second wicket. Fakhar led the charge with a century, while Babar couldn’t turn his fifty into a ton.
The right-handed batsman lost his wicket on the 35th as he looked to change momentum and speed up his slow stroke. However, while trying to hit the ball, Babar screwed up in the middle and returned to the pavilion after scoring 74 in 85 delivery, with six bounds and a six.
Pakistan’s top scorer for the first ODI, Fakhar, on the other hand, racked up his century, but dropped briefly after catching it as he ran out a couple of overs later. The left-handed batsman posted a run-a-ball 109 with the help of bounding 12s and a six.
Fakhar’s sacking led to a frustrating collapse for the touring team as Pakistan lost three wickets in quick succession as batsman Mohammad Rizwan, Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Nawaz perished after scoring cheaply.
After the collapse, all-rounder Shadab Khan defended his team and hit a speedy 48 from 28 balls, including four bounds and two sixes, while debutant Agha Salman offered a helping hand with a gutsy 27 from 16 delivery. .
Both batsmen remained unbeaten as Pakistan went 314-6 in the allotted 50 overs.
For the Netherlands, Bas de Leede and Logan van Beek bagged two wickets each, while Vivian Kingma made a scalp.
The action-packed series airs live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel, A Sports, and will be simulcast on ARY Digital Network’s digital platform. ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.
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