Travis Head capped off a remarkable return to limited edition cricket with a fiery century before taking two wickets to anchor Australia’s thumping 88-run victory over Pakistan in the first day-night international in Lahore on Tuesday. Head’s 72-ball 101 led Australia to a challenging 313-7 before the 28-year-old twisted his arm for 2-35 to knock out Pakistan for 225 in 45.2 overs. Leg spinner Adam Zampa also played with the ball, taking 4-38 in ten penetrating overs. The win gives Australia a 1-0 lead in a three-game series, their tenth consecutive ODI win over Pakistan since January 2017.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq hit a fighting 96-ball 103 while skipper Babar Azam made a 72-ball 57, but with the demand rate around 9.5, Australia never doubted the win.
Haq hit six boundaries and three sixes in his eighth one-day international century, but was thrown over in the 39th by pacer Nathan Ellis with 110 needed from 66 balls.
Haq added 96 with Azam for the second wicket after opener Fakhar Zaman fell for 18 and another 38 with Khushdil Shah (19) for the sixth wicket.
Azam, who hit six boundaries with his strike, became the second fastest batter to complete 4,000 ODI runs in 82 innings, one more than South African Hashim Amla’s record.
Azam was caught in the leg for the wicket by Mitchell Swepson in the 25th before Head rejected Saud Shakil (three) and Iftikhar Ahmed (three) to further shock Pakistan.
Zampa finished with the wickets of Mohammad Rizwan (ten), Hasan Ali (two), Mohammad Wasim (zero) and Khushdil.
Previously, Head knocked out his second one-day international hundred and Ben McDermott hit a career-best 55 from 70 after Australia was sent off at the Gaddafi Stadium by Pakistan.
Head, who played his first ODI since November 2018, busted 12 boundaries and three sixes to set up 110 for the opening wicket with skipper Aaron Finch making 23.
Head took a single spinner Iftikhar to reach three figures from 70 balls, the fastest ODI century by an Australian against Pakistan.
He beat David Warner’s record of 78 balls in Adelaide in 2017.
With the score at 209-2 in the 33rd left, Pakistan withdrew by three wickets for just 21 runs in the space of 39 balls, knocking out McDermott, Marnus Labuschagne (25) and Alex Carey (four).
Cameron Green (40 not out), Marcus Stoinis (26) and Sean Abbott (14) helped Australia score 50 in the last five overs and get past 300.
Green hit three limits and a six in his 30-ball knock.
For Pakistan, pacer Haris Rauf took 2-44 and debutant leg spinner Zahid Mahmood finished 2-59.
promoted
Australia, already missing key players such as Warner, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc for multiple reasons, was further depleted after spinner Ashton Agar tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday.
The other two games are on Thursday and Saturday, also in Lahore.
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