Shan, Babar hit centuries on day one of practice match

Pakistan opener Shan Masood and middle-order batsman Babar Azam, while representing Team one, scored centuries on day one of the three-day practice match against Team two at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Opener Abid Ali was the first to go for Team one as young pacer Musa Khan trapped him leg-before-wicket (lbw) on 33.  Musa was soon on a roll as he also removed Pakistan’s skipper Azhar Ali, who departed without opening his account.

Shan soon found an able ally in Babar as both formed an important partnership to take the innings forward.

Shan played a 103-run knock from 155 balls whereas Babar scored 101 off 141 deliveries, after which both the batsmen retired out.

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Middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq also had a short stay on the pitch as off-spinner Bilal Asif got rid of him for 2 runs.

Team one finished the day on 320 for 5 wickets down, with wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf unbeaten on 45 and 21 respectively.

Misbah-led selection committee will assess players’ performance in the practice match before announcing the squad for first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi from February 7 to 11.

Team one: Azhar Ali (Captain), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Bilawal Bhatti

Team two: Haris Sohail (Captain), Imamul Haq, Zeeshan Malik, Mohammad Ashfaq, Fawad Alam, Faizan Riaz, Adnan Akmal (wk), Kashif Bhatti, Imran Khan Senior, Usman Shinwari, Mohammad Hasnain, Musa Khan, Bilal Asif.