Azhar Ali © AFP (File photo)
The Pakistanis finished on a massive total of 326 for six at the end of 50 overs in their tour match against Nepal at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Ahead of their tougher contests against England in One-Day Internationals (ODI) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) the Pakistani batsmen managed to impress, despite it coming against an attack that is yet to face most of the top-ranked international teams. Babar Azam was unbeaten on 43 off 29 balls, while Anwar Ali hit a six off the last ball of the innings to move to 11 off five balls. Basant Regmi took two wickets while conceding 73 runs in what was a mixed spell of bowling, while Nepal captain Paras Khadka finished with the most economical figures of 1 for 47 in 10 overs. LIVE CRICKET UPDATES: Pakistanis vs Nepal 2015, tour match at Abu Dhabi
Pakistan had earlier won the toss and chose to bat at the start of what is a historic match for Nepal, who square-off against the South Asian giants for the first time in their cricketing history. Azhar Ali and Ahmed Shehzad got Pakistan off to a flier, with the latter scoring six boundaries in his 42-ball 35 as Pakistan were guided to a 55-run opening stand. Azhar, who leads the Pakistan team in the 50-over format, was the chief architect of the Pakistan innings with a run-a-ball innings of 73. Both Azhar, and Shoaib Malik retired hurt during their innings, with the latter doing so on a score of 63.
Towards the end, it was Babar Azam who led the charge with a 29-ball 43, which included four fours and two sixes. Amidst the carnage, Khadka managed to bowl a quality death over towards the end, conceding only five runs while dismissing wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed.
Brief scores:
Pakistanis 326 for 6 in 50 overs (Azhar Ali 73, Mohammad Hafeez 49, Shoaib Malik 63, Babar Azam 43*; Basant Regmi 2 for 73) vs Nepal.