Page 27 - Pakistan Link - July 16, 2021

SPORTS JULY 16, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P27
SPORTS JULY 16, 2021 - PAKISTAN LINK
Vince century helps England seal Babar returns to form with masterly

ODI whitewash 158 in final ODI

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan skipper Haris Rauf — attacked the bowlers to home amid a celebratory mood in the
Babar Azam’s stunning knock of keep the chase on track, with the first stands at Edgbaston.
158 was in vain as England’s sec- 100 runs scored by the 13th over. Earlier, Babar’s career-best score
ond string side completed a record Skipper Ben Stokes (32) lived was the cornerstone of the Pakistan
run chase at Edgbaston to win by dangerously and was let off by Paki- innings. He was running out of part-
three wickets on Tuesday and clinch stan when he was dropped in the deep ners and fell in the final over when
the three-match One-day Interna- on 7 and 18 before a slog sweep off he was caught off a top edge while
tional series 3-0. Set a target of 332 spinner Shadab Khan drew a faint edge going for a big shot. Babar, who is
for victory, James Vince smashed to wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan. ranked number one among batsmen
11 boundaries en route to his maid- Vince built a 129-run partnership with in ODIs, fell 15 runs short of 4,000
en ODI century (102) which helped Lewis Gregory, who contributed with runs and the crowd gave the 26-year-
guide England home with two overs a crucial 77 before he was dismissed old a standing ovation as he walked
to spare as a sloppy Pakistan dropped when Shadab caught a high, swirling back to the pavilion. England next
catches and conceded runs through ball as the all-rounder attempted to play Pakistan in three Twenty20 In-
several misfields. launch Haris into the stands. terna¬tionals, starting from Friday at
Opener Dawid Malan was sent Gregory’s wicket, with 29 to get, Trent Bridge.
back for a second straight duck in gave Pakistan a lifeline but Craig RESULT: England won by
the series but Phil Salt (37) and Zak Overton (18) and Brydon Carse (12) three wickets to win three-match BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan captain head by a leaping Zak Crawley at
Crawley (39) — both dismissed by remained unbeaten to guide England series 3-0. Babar Azam returned to form with a second slip for just six.
brilliant 158, his highest One-day In- Babar spent 14 balls on 0 and
ternational score, as the tourists tried went to fifty in a relatively sedate 72
to deny England a series sweep at balls. But so long as he stayed in there
Edgbaston on Tuesday. was every chance he would increase
Babar’s 14th century in 83 match- his scoring rate and so it proved with
es at this level was the centrepiece of a cut boundary off Mahmood taking
Pakistan’s 331-9 after they lost the him to a hundred in just 104 balls in-
toss. Together with Mohammad Riz- cluding nine fours and two sixes.
wan (74) he shared a stand of 179 And having gone past his pre-
— Pakistan’s highest for any wicket vious highest ODI score of 125 not
in an ODI against England — after out, against the West Indies at Prov-
adding 92 with opener Imam-ul-Haq idence in 2017, he was dropped on
(56). 126 before going to 150 in 134 balls.
Babar’s innings was also the Not only did the 26-year-old Babar
highest individual score in a 50-over punish the loose ball, he also drove
ODI at Edgbaston with New Zea- Carse through the covers for a rasp-
land’s Glenn Turner, scoring 171 in ing boundary.
a 60-over World Cup match against Stokes, the most experienced
East Africa in 1975 and England’s member of the side, eventually
Robin Smith making 167 against brought himself on to bowl in the
Australia in a 55-over match in 1993. 20th over only to be pulled for four
Fast bowler Brydon Carse dis- by Azam to the delight of a large Pa-
missed both Babar and Rizwan be- kistan contingent in the crowd.
fore collecting some late wickets as Imam, the nephew of Pakistan
Pakistan hit out for a return of 5-61. great Inzamam-ul-Haq, was bowled
Babar, the world’s top-ranked by a superb delivery from leg-spinner
ODI batsman, had been dismissed Matt Parkinson that pitched outside
for 0 and 19 by fast bowler Saqib the left-hander’s off stump and then
Mahmood as England — who had
turned sharply to bowl him between
Gayle blasts West Indies to T20 series to change their entire squad for this bat and pad.
three-match following a Covid-19
Rizwan’s fifty, off just 42 balls,
victory over Australia outbreak within their camp — went however, gave Pakistan valuable
2-0 up with commanding nine-wicket
impetus. Babar was dropped on 126
when Carse failed to hold what would
and 52-run wins at Cardiff and Lord’s
respectively. Pakistan were in the have been an excellent catch at mid-
GROS ISLET (St Lucia): A blister- a first formidable total of this cam- off the field as to his value to the team, runs from the first ball, with Imam wicket following a powerful pull off
ing Chris Gayle half-century blasted paign effectively came to an end. he went after the Australian bowlers clipping Mahmood off his pads for Parkinson.
the West Indies to victory over Aus- Walsh should have claimed a not long after arriving at the crease in four, after managing just one run in Babar cashed in, driving Carse
tralia in St Lucia on Monday, clinch- third wicket but stand-in captain the opening over when Mitchell Starc total in the first two games. over long-on for a majestic six.
ing their five-match Twenty20 Inter- Nicholas Pooran missed a straight- dismissed Andre Fletcher. Mahmood, however, had Pa- Rizwan was caught behind down
national series. forward stumping off Henri¬ques Starc would actually emerge rel- kistan’s other left-handed opener, the legside off Carse before Babar
Chasing a modest target of 142 at who managed to make some use of atively unscathed from the celebrated Fakhar Zaman well caught above his holed out in the last over.
the Darren Sammy National Cricket the reprieve. power-hitter’s assault, returning his
Stadium, Gayle recaptured his most Yet all of that effort was put into most economical T20 International India’s 1983 World Cup team member
destructive form in racing to 67 off proper context by Gayle’s muscular figures ever of 1-15 from four overs.
only 38 balls to take his team to the performance — his first Twenty20 in- However, all the other bowlers Yashpal Sharma dies
target with 31 deliveries to spare. ternational half-century in six years, felt the weight of Gayle’s bat al-
By spearheading the West Indies with seven sixes and four fours. though paceman Riley Meredith had NEW DELHI: Yashpal Sharma, He scored 89 against the West Indies
to an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the Fully aware of all the speculation the consolation of picking up three member of the India side that fa- in a first-round game and 61 in the
series, the 41-year-old also sent an wickets, including the rampaging Ja- mously won the 1983 World Cup, has semi-final against England.
ominous warning that he could yet maican, for the first time in his brief died of a heart attack at the age of 66, Rank outsiders India stunned two-
be a factor in the Carib¬bean side’s T20 International career. cricket authorities said on Tuesday. time champions the West Indies in the
defence of the World T20 title later “I have to thank my entire team Yashpal played a key part in In- final at Lord’s. “Shocked and deep-
this year. for the faith they have shown in me dia’s first World Cup win that trig- ly pained by the demise of Yashpal
Gayle’s pyrotechnics followed because everyone knows the strug- gered cricket’s rise in South Asia. Sharma-ji. Have fond memories of
another efficient West Indies perfor- gles I have had with the bat in the He played 37 Tests and 42 One- watching him bat during the 1983
mance in the field as wrist-spinner last few matches,” said player-of-the- day Internationals as a right-hand- World Cup,” batting great Sachin
Hayden Walsh again presented the match Gayle. “They have all stood up ed middle-order batsman between Tendulkar tweeted.
most effective challenge to the Aus- for me and I am happy that I was able 1979 and 1985. After quiting, Yashpal was in-
tralians with figures of two for 18 in to stand up and deliver to remind ev- Sharma was the second-high- volved in coaching, commentary and
limiting the visitors to 141 for six. eryone that I still have it in me to do est run-getter for India at the 1983 cricket administration, including two
All-rounder Moises Henriques something special at the World T20.” tournament after captain Kapil Dev. stints as national selector.
was the top-scorer with 33 and struck Gayle passed 14,000 runs in
the only two sixes of his team’s in- all T20 cricket during the innings,
nings. His contribution followed his the only player to so far reach that
side’s best opening partnership of the milestone.
series — 41 — between captain Aar- For Finch, it was another case of
on Finch and Matthew Wade. his team failing to meet the expect-
However, the tempo of the in- ed standards.“We really should have
nings dropped considerably when built on that start but I didn’t help the
they were separated by Obed McCoy situation when I got out and when
in what proved to be the seamer’s you’re playing a team like this with
only over of the innings. so much experience and so many
Mitchell Marsh fell cheaply for world-class players it is always going
the first time in the series and when to be tough.”
Walsh accounted for Alex Carey and RESULT: West Indies won by six
Finch in the same over, their hopes of wickets to lead five-match series 3-0.
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