The Babar Azam-led side had a comprehensive five-wicket win over the West Indies in the first ODI of the series. The credit for the win goes to the skipper, who scored a brilliant century to chase down a target of 306 runs. Babar Azam’s 103 off 107 balls was the foundation of Pakistan’s innings. He also had the help of Imam-ul-Haq (65) and Mohammad Rizwan (59). Khushdil Shah delivered the final touch, remaining undefeated on 41 off 23 balls.
Babar has now hit over 1000 runs in one-day internationals since taking over as Pakistan’s captain. He accomplished this feat in just 13 innings, breaking former India captain Virat Kohli’s previous record of 17 innings. Babar Azam needed 98 runs before the game started to break Kohli’s record, and he did so in style. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took to Instagram to congratulate him on achieving this feat.
The Pakistan captain is now one of the finest players in international cricket, ranking first in T20Is and ODIs and fourth in Tests. Notably, 7 of these 13 innings have occurred on flat surfaces at home. But that doesn’t change the fact that Babar is one of the top batters on the international scene right now.
As for the match, Shai Hope (127 runs in 134 balls) and Shamarh Brooks (70 runs in 83 balls) played brilliant knocks to help West Indies to a good total of 305 runs. On the other hand, Haris Rauf had a brilliant game with the ball. He took a four-wicket haul, while Shaheen Shah Afridi took two wickets in the match.
Pakistan lost an early wicket in the chase but quickly developed vital partnerships. The Windies bowlers could not do much on a flat wicket and allowed batters to score freely. Babar Azam, Imam ul Haq, and Mohammad Rizwan helped Pakistan to the win.
The next two matches will be played at the same venue, Multan Cricket Stadium, on the 10th and the 12th of June. Pakistan currently leads the series 1-0.
