Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman is upbeat after scoring a century during the intra-squad practice match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, ahead of Africa tour.

Zaman scored 109 runs off 82 balls with the help of four sixes and 10 fours and led his side, Shadab XI, to victory against Babar XI while chasing a revised target of 320 runs.

“It felt great [scoring a century]. I was playing a one-day match after a long time against some really good bowlers. I was trying to play for as long as possible. After getting set, I tried to increase the scoring rate,” said Zaman after the match.

He was also optimistic ahead of the ODI series against South Africa, which starts on April 2.  

“It was a good match in terms of our preparations. This camp is benefitting us a great deal and hopefully I can use the confidence I gain here during South Africa series,” he said.

“I’m excited about playing ODIs after a long gap. I have been performing well since the PSL and hopefully I can lead Pakistan to victory [against South Africa],” he concluded.  

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Batting first, Babar XI scored 289/7 in their allotted 50 overs. Imamul Haq (91 retired) and Babar Azam (83 retired) were the major contributors. Meanwhile, youngster Saud Shakeel remained unbeaten on 40 runs.

Shadab XI’s rookie pacer Shahnawaz Dahani claimed figures of 3/39, while Shaheen Afridi bagged 2 wickets for 43 runs.

Sarfaraz Ahmed scored 58 runs, retired, while Mohammad Nawaz remained unbeaten on 43 runs for Shadab XI.