Misbah Ul-Haq rattled up his 33rd first-class ton for Pakistan on the first day of the two-day warm-up match against Guyana to leave Pakistan sitting pretty going into the final day at the Guyana Cricket Club (GCC) Ground, Bourda.
Today, action gets underway at 10:00 hours.
Yesterday, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat on a flat surface on which they amassed 330 – 7 in 75 overs.
In the final session of the day the opposition began chasing the target and got to 25 – 0 before being offered the light option.
Trevon Griffith and Shemroy Barrington opened the batting for Guyana and got just about 30 minutes of play before they were offered the light option by the umpires. Griffith looked solid for his 20 while Barrington was a bit shaky at the other end.
Pakistan’s openers Mohammed Hafeez and Azhar Ali batted the entire first session and were 86 – 0 with Hafeez on 47 and Ali on 38. When play resumed after lunch Hafeez quickly brought up his half century but was stopped with the score on 92 when he was caught at gully by Barrington off a Ronsford Beaton delivery for 52.
Asad Shafiq joined Ali in the middle and Ali pressed on to record a half century too but did not last long after reaching that landmark scooping a delivery back to leg spinner Amir Khan with the score on 136.
The very next over President’s XI struck again to leave the visitors at 136 – 3 as Keon Joseph bowled Shafiq or 21.
Misbah Ul-Haq and Umar Akmal then occupied the middle and saw their tea, through a few bowling changes before Guyana got a breakthrough with the score on 195 when off-spinner Zaheer Mohammed trapped Akmal leg before wicket (lbw) for 26 to bring Hammad Azam to the crease.
Khan, who bowled the next over, dropped a very low return catch off Azam but he soon fell to Mohammed when, turning a delivery off his legs he was caught by Barrington at short leg with the score on 215.
At the tea interval Pakistan was 220 – 5 from 58 overs with Ul-Haq and Mohammad Salman on 49 and one respectively.
When the final session began Ul-Haq brought up his 50 from 83 balls and kept pressing on towards three figures while watching his team mates falling at the other end.
Umar Gul joined Ul-Haq and began a destructive 86-run partnership with Gul belting a quick-fire 40 which included three fours and two sixes while Ul-Haq batted on to reach triple figures from 139 balls.
The 36-year old right handed batsman blasted seven fours and four sixes in his dominant inning to take Pakistan to 330-7 where they duly declared.
Scorecard
Pakistan first innings
M. Hafeez c Barrington b Beaton 52
A. Ali c&b Khan 57
A. Shafiq b Joseph 21
M. Ul-Haq not out 101
U. Akmal lbw Mohammed 26
H. Azam c Barrington b Mohammed 05
M. Salman lbw Khan 12
A. Rehman b Khan 02
U. Gul not out 40
Extras (b8, lb2, 2nb, w1) 13
Total (for 7 wickets declared off 75 overs) 330
Fall of wicket: 1-92, 2-136, 3-136, 4-205, 5-215, 6-242, 7-244
Bowling: Beaton 10-1-62-1 (1w), Joseph 10-2-44-1 (1nb), Mohammed 16-2-64-2, Fudadin 10-1-39-0 (1nb), Khan 26-2-88-3, Deonarine 3-0-16-0
Guyana first innings
T. Griffith not out 20
S. Barrington not out 05
Total (without loss off 5.3 overs) 25
Bowling: Gul 3-1-4-0, Riaz 2.3-0-21-0
