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Birmingham, June 26
Babar Azam produced a sublime unbeaten century under pressure as Pakistan continued its revival in the World Cup by halting New Zealand's unbeaten run with a six-wicket victory.
Chasing 238 on a tricky Edgbaston pitch which offered vicious turn, Azam (101) and Sohail (68) showed intent, temperament and resolve while batting in Pakistan's must-win game. They raised a 126-run stand for the fourth wicket after Mohammed Hafeez's dismissal off a part-time spinner, yet again, raised eyebrows and Mitchell Santner looked almost unplayable. The situation demanded restraint and Hafeez was set but he threw away his wicket while trying to attack Kane Williamson.
This was after Fakhar Zaman (9) was done in by Trent Boult and Imam ul Haq (19) became a victim of Lockie Ferguson. Taking the attack by the scruff of its neck, Azam shifted the gears after completing his half-century and hit some glorious shots off Williamson and Boult to keep the required run-rate under check.
The 24-year-old completed his century, 10th in ODIs, with a single of Lockie Ferguson off. His knock, coming off 127 balls, was embellished with 11 shots to the fence. Sohail provided superb support from the other end before running himself out. Only two runs were required at that time. Williamson tried all the tricks in his bag but Pakistan overhauled the target with five balls to spare.
Afridi on fire
Earlier, Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi rattled the top and middle order in a fiery spell but James Neesham (97*) and Colin de Grandhomme (64) helped New Zealand post 237/6. — PTI
3RD Fastest batsman — Babar Azam — to reach ten centuries in ODI history
3000 Runs for Babar Azam in 68th innings — the second-fastest among all batsmen
1ST Defeat of the 2019 World Cup for New Zealand. It is their first group stage defeat in 8 years
It hurts but what can one do: Sarfaraz responds to ‘pig’ jibe
Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed (in pic) says incidents like the one in which he was compared to a “pig” by a fan are hurtful but there is nothing he can do to prevent them and can only plead for civility in criticism. In a recent video that went viral on social media, Sarfaraz, walking in a mall in England with his son, was stopped by a fan, who asked him why he looked like a fat pig. The fan eventually apologised for his conduct after drawing flak from all corners for targetting the player during a private moment. “I can’t say anything on this. It’s not in our hands to control what people say about us. Winning and losing is part of the game and it’s not that we are the first team to have lost a match; previous teams also have faced defeats,” Sarfaraz said. “Had earlier teams faced the kind of criticism that we are facing, they would have realised how much these things hurt us. Now, there is social media. People write, comment and say whatever they like. These incidents affect the psychology of the players,” he added.
The Pakistan fans are pinning their hopes on the fact that in 1992, their team was in the same situation and went on to win the title. The similarity between Pakistan’s 1992 and 2019 campaigns are uncanny. The results of their first seven matches in both the campaigns are exactly the same, including a washout in their third match. — agencies