50 overs Pakistan 342 for six (Babar 151, Iftikhar 109*, Kami 2-85) vs Nepal

Batting was difficult in Multan and Nepal had made early breakthroughs to depart Pakistan in a precarious place. During that point, Babar consolidated the innings, taking 72 balls to achieve his fifty. Gradually growing the tempo, he took simply 37 balls to maneuver from 51 to 100. Once he reached his hundred, he went into the T20 mode and smashed 51 off the following 22 balls.

Suryakumar Yadav, on Monday, mentioned that ODIs drive one to bat like all three codecs. On Wednesday, Babar confirmed methods to do it.

Nepal have been making their Asia Cup debut, and taking part in in opposition to Pakistan for the primary time in any format. That inexperience, and possibly the nerves, confirmed a number of instances through the innings. Early on, Sompal Kami and Karan KC drifted down the leg facet every so often. Fakhar Zaman picked up two leg-side boundaries off Kami within the first three balls of the innings however the slowness of the pitch and a few good fielding got here to Nepal's rescue.

With the ball not coming onto the bat, each Fakhar and Imam-ul-Haq struggled for timing. When Fakhar threw his bat at a size ball from Karan, and obtained a thick outdoors edge, the wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh stretched to his left to seize the catch with each fingers.

In the following over, Imam hit one laborious in the direction of mid-off and set off for a fast single. Rohit Paudel fielded the ball, took intention and nailed the direct hit. Imam was thus far wanting the bowling crease that he did not even anticipate the TV umpire's determination.

With Pakistan 25 for two, Mohammad Rizwan joined Babar within the center, and the 2 began rebuilding the innings. Playing risk-free cricket largely and nonetheless choosing up a boundary right here and there, they took the facet to 100 within the twenty second over.

Iftikhar Ahmed raises his half-century•AFP/Getty Images

But then Nepal struck again, as soon as once more by way of their fielding. This time Dipendra Singh Airee, from cowl, hit the stumps on the bowler's finish to seek out Rizwan's bat and each ft within the air because the batter tried to keep away from getting hit by the throw. Had Rizwan run usually and grounded his bat, he would have been secure. He made 44 off 50 balls.

Agha Salman tried to be optimistic. In his first three balls, he tried a sweep from properly outdoors off and a reverse sweep. Neither shot fetched him any runs, although. Three overs later, he tried one other reverse sweep, off Sandeep Lamichhane, however didn't preserve it down and was caught at quick third.

At 124 for 4, Pakistan have been in hassle however Babar was unperturbed. Against spin, he used the reduce shot properly to rotate the strike, and reached his fifty in 72 balls.

While Nepal fielded just like the World XI at sure instances, they appeared like Ilford Second XI at others. Having dropped Imam on 5 earlier, they put down Babar on 55, to not point out a number of different causal efforts leading to misfields.

Babar made them pay. He began discovering the boundary with growing frequency and obtained to his hundred in 109 balls. Fittingly, it was one other reduce shot in opposition to spin that took him to the milestone.

After that, he actually opened up. In the forty fifth over, he hit Kami for 4, 4 and 6 off successive balls earlier than smashing back-to-back sixes off Lamichhane.

At the opposite finish, Iftikhar was batting in a way much more brutal. In reality, it was his knock that allowed Babar to shift the gears progressively.

Iftikhar attacked proper from the second he got here to the crease. He hit the primary six of the innings when he launched Kami over deep midwicket within the thirty fifth over, after which sped to his fifty in 43 balls. It took him simply 67 balls to convey up his maiden ODI hundred in opposition to a helpless Nepal assault. In all, Iftikhar hit 11 fours and 4 sixes as Pakistan ransacked 129 within the final ten overs.

Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo