‘My focus was on Pakistan’s win, not on my century’ Imam-ul-Haq

LAHORE: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq has claimed that his whole focus was on his side’s triumph, not on his century during the run-chase in the third ODI of the historic series against Australia, here on Saturday.

Imam, who scored two consecutive centuries against Australia in the first two ODIs, has claimed that his team’s victory was his top priority and did not care about what would have been his third consecutive century.

“My whole focus was on Pakistan winning the series, not on my century,” he said.

“It is satisfying that Pakistan won a [bilateral ODI] series against Australia after a long time,” he added.

Imam, who missed his century by a mere 11 runs in the third ODI, commented about his form and said that he is grateful for finding and maintaining it.

“There is nothing new. I played in my own style. Thankfully, I got the form and maintained it,” he said.

The left-handed opener, while being asked about his critics, said that he does not want to answer them.

“I don’t want to give any answer to the critics. They all are my brothers and Pakistanis,” he said.

Imam then went on to comment about his friendship with the Pakistan captain Babar Azam and said that their friendship benefits them in the field.

“Babar and I are good friends and this friendship helps a lot in the field as we have a firm belief in each other and in our abilities,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that Imam remained the top scorer of the recently concluded ODI series between Pakistan and Australia. He scored 298 runs at an average of 147 including two centuries.

READ: Babar, Imam power Pakistan to historic ODI series win against Australia

Babar, Imam power Pakistan to historic ODI series win against Australia

LAHORE: Pakistani skipper Babar Azam starred with a century, while Imam-ul-Haq shone with an unbeaten half-century to power the home side beat Australia in the third ODI and win the historic series, here at Gaddafi Stadium.

Set to chase 211, Pakistan comfortably steered to victory in the 38th over with nine wickets in hands, thanks to the brilliant batting performance by Babar and Imam.

The pair of Babar and Imam bolstered the side to a historic victory and added an unbeaten 190-runs partnership for the second wicket.

Babar top-scored for the side with an unbeaten 105 off 115 balls, laced with 12 boundaries, while Imam remained not-out with his 89 off 100 deliveries including six boundaries and a six.

The left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman, on the other hand, managed to score 17 off 12 balls before making his way back to the pavilion in the fourth over.

For Australia, Nathan Ellis managed to take one wicket.

Australia, after being put in to bat first by the Pakistani skipper Babar, could only manage to score 210 before being bowled out in the 42nd over.

Coming out to bat first, the touring side was off to a poor start as they lost their first three wickets for a mere six runs. The openers Travis Head and Aaron Finch made their way back after bagging a duck, while Marnus Labuschagne could score four.

Following the early trouble, the right-handed middle-order batter Ben McDermott looked to anchor the innings with an important 53-runs partnership with Marcus Stoinis before the latter perished after scoring 19.

Soon after Stoinis’s dismissal, McDermott also made his way back in the 16th over after scoring 36.

The wicket-keeper batter Alex Carey and the all-rounder Cameron Green then chipped in and added 81 runs for the sixth wicket. The duo batted brilliantly with Carey scoring a half-century.

The right-handed batter top-score for the side with 56 off 61 balls with the help of six boundaries and a six, while Green could score 34.

Later, in the innings, Sean Abbott stood up with his crucial 49 off 40 deliveries, laced with six boundaries and a six, while the tail-enders perished after scoring cheaply.

For Pakistan, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jr starred with three wickets each, while Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up two wickets. Zahid Mehmood and Iftikhar Ahmed, on the other hand, made one scalp each.

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Pakistan win toss, opt to bowl first against Australia in the third ODI

LAHORE: Pakistan have won the toss and opted to field first in the third and final ODI of the ongoing series against Australia, here at Gaddafi Stadium.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim, Haris Rauf, Zahid Mahmood, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Travis Head, Ben McDermott, Marnus Labuschagne, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa

Babar, Imam’s tons propel Pakistan to beat Australia after record run chase

LAHORE: Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam and the left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq scored centuries to power the home side beat Australia by six wickets in a record run chase.

Set to chase 349, Pakistan steered to the total comfortably in 49 overs, thanks to the centuries from Babar and Imam.

In the run chase, Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman and Imam laid a solid foundation for the run chase with a magnificent 118-runs opening stand.

Fakhar fell in the 19th over after scoring 67 off 64 balls, laced with seven boundaries and two sixes, while Imam kept going and went on to smash his second consecutive ODI hundred.

Imam, however, fell briefly after reaching his century, he scored 106 off 97 balls; including six boundaries and three sixes. The left-handed opener also put on a valiant 111-runs partnership with Babar, who top-scored for the side with an astonishing 114 off 83 deliveries, laced with 11 boundaries and a six.

Wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and the left-handed batter Khushdil Shah also chipped in as the former scored 23, while the latter remained unbeaten with 27.

For Australia, Adam Zampa took two wickets, while Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Ellis made one scalp each.

After being put in to bat by the Pakistani skipper Babar, the touring side was off to a poor start as the left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi removed the Aussie skipper Aaron Finch for a golden duck in the first over.

Australia’s top-order batter Ben McDermott, alongside Travis Head, then anchored the innings and added 162 runs for the second wicket. The pair appeared solid as both scored half-centuries but Head could not manage to convert it into another century as he fell 11 short of his second consecutive century.

The left-handed opener scored 89 off 70 balls with the help of six boundaries and five sixes. McDermott, on the other hand, kept going and went on to smash his maiden ODI century.

The right-handed batter put on an important 64-runs partnership with Labuschagne before making his way back to the pavilion. He top-scored for the side with 104 off 108 deliveries, laced with 10 boundaries and four sixes. Labuschagne, on the other hand, perished in the 41st over after scoring 59.

Following his departure, the right-handed all-rounder Marcus Stoinis and Sean Abbott also chipped in with 49 and 28 respectively to take their side to 348/8 in 50 overs.

For Pakistan, Shaheen led the way with four wickets, while Mohammad Wasim Jr picked two. Zahid Mahmood and Khushdil Shah, on the other hand, made one scalp each.

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Pakistan win toss, elect to field first against Australia in second ODI

LAHORE: Pakistan have won the toss and elected to field first in the second ODI against Australia, here on Thursday.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Wasim, Zahid Mehmood, Haris Rauf

Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Ben McDermott, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Swepson

‘All members of the squad test negative for COVID-19’ Cricket Australia

LAHORE: Cricket Australia (CA) have confirmed that all the members of the white-ball squad including the supporting staff have tested negative for COVID-19.

According to the CA, all the players and support staff for the white-ball series against Pakistan underwent COVID-19 tests after the conclusion of the first ODI. The members then again tested for the widely spread virus in the morning today.

The cricketing body has confirmed that all the members of the squad have returned a negative result.

Whereas, the squad members, who tested positive for the widely spread virus are undergoing isolation period.

It is pertinent to mention here that the two players and a staff member of the Australian squad contracted earlier this week.

READ: PAK vs AUS: Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh ruled out of ODI series

PAK vs AUS: Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh ruled out of ODI series

LAHORE: Australia’s all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the ongoing ODI series between Pakistan and Australia after sustaining an injury.

Marsh, who suffered a hip flexor injury during the scheduled training for the white-ball series against Pakistan, has now been ruled out of the historic series.

The all-rounder has been separated from Australia’s white-ball squad and is set to fly for Dubai. His replacement Matthew Renshaw has landed in the country and also started the mandatory isolation after returning a negative PCR test.

It is pertinent to mention here that Australia currently lead the three-match series 1-0 as the touring side beat Pakistan in a comprehensive manner in the first ODI by 88 runs.

READ: Imam’s century goes in vain as Australia beat Pakistan by 88 runs

Imam’s century goes in vain as Australia beat Pakistan by 88 runs

LAHORE: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq’s century went in vain as Australia have defeated the home side by 88 runs in the first ODI of the three-match series, here at Gaddafi Stadium.

Set to chase 314, Pakistan could only manage to score 225 before being bowled out in the 46th over despite the century from Imam.

Pakistan had a poor start to the run chase as the home side lost their first wicket for 24. The left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman made his way back after scoring a run-a-ball 18.

Another left-handed opener Imam alongside Babar Azam anchored the innings with a valiant 96-runs partnership for the second wicket. The duo was batting sensibly as both scored half-centuries before Babar perished in the 25th over.

The Pakistani skipper scored 57 off 72 balls with the help of six boundaries, while Imam kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly when the home side was losing wickets at an alarming rate.

The left-handed opener then went on to score his ODI hundred but could not extend his century knock for long as the debutant Nathan Ellis castled him for 103. He faced 96 balls and smashed nine boundaries including three sixes.

The rest of the Pakistani batters could not contribute in the run chase and as a result, the home side was bowled out on 225; handing a comprehensive 88-runs victory to Australia.

For Australia, Adam Zampa led the bowling chart with four wickets, while Mitchell Swepson and Travis Head took two each. Sean Abbott and Ellis, on the other hand, struck out a batter each.

Australia, after being put in to bat first by the Pakistan captain Babar, managed to amass a decent total of 313/7 in the allotted 50 overs. The touring side, however, lost their way in the middle of the innings despite having a fine start.

Coming out to bat first, the Australian openers Aaron Finch and Head provided a solid start to the side and put on a magnificent century-plus partnership for the first wicket.

Australian captain Finch, who was struggling to get going, made his way back in the 15th over as the debutant Zahid Mehmood dismissed him for 23. The right-handed opener faced 36 balls and hit only one six.

His opening partner, Head, on the other hand, kept the scoreboard ticking and went on to score his second ODI century off just 70 balls. The left-handed batter, however, fell briefly after reaching the milestone as he lost his wicket to Iftikhar Ahmed after attempting to slog the ball over the long-off boundary.

The left-handed opener top-scored with 101 off 72 balls with the help of 12 boundaries and three sixes. The right-handed batter Ben McDermott, on the other hand, also chipped in with his half-century. He followed back with a brilliant knock of 55 off 70 deliveries, laced with four boundaries.

Following his dismissal, the touring side began to lose wickets at an alarming rate and as a result, restricted to 313/7 in the 50 overs. Australia’s all-rounder Cameron Green contributed with his unbeaten 40 at the death.

For Pakistan, Haris Rauf and Zahid led the way with two wickets each, while Iftikhar and Khushdil Shah made one scalp each.

READ: Twitter erupts as Ben McDermott run-out against Pakistan

Pakistan win toss, put Australia into bat in the first ODI

LAHORE: Pakistan have won the toss and elected to field in the first ODI of the ongoing three-match series against Australia, here at Gaddafi Stadium.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Haris Rauf, Zahid Mahmood

Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Travis Head, Ben McDermott, Marnus Labuschagne, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Swepson

Zahid, Wasim Jr to make their ODI debuts against Australia

LAHORE: Pakistan’s leg-spinner Zahid Mehmood and the all-rounder Mohammad Wasim Jr will make their ODI debuts against Australia, here at Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the two cricketers will make their ODI debut today in the first ODI of the historic three-match series against Australia.

Wasim and Zahid have already represented the country in T20Is, however, this will be their first international match in the 50-overs format. Wasim has played 10 T20I matches, while Zahid could represent the green shirts in only one match.

On the other hand, Australia’s leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson and right-arm speedster Nathan Ellis will also be making their ODI debuts.

READ: Shaheen Shah Afridi ruled out of first ODI due to injury