Babar Azam stroked yet another hundred against the West Indies as Pakistan rallied from an indifferent start to total 282 for five in the second one-day international at the National Stadium in Guyana on Sunday.
Reinstated in his favourite number three spot in the batting order, Azam held a faltering innings together and then accelerated towards an unbeaten 125, his fifth century in ODIs and fourth in five innings against the Caribbean side.
He received critical support from Imad Wasim, the all-rounder finishing unbeaten on 43 in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 99 which released the shackles of previously disciplined West Indian bowling on a pitch lacking the pace and bounce from the first match two days earlier.
Following the stirring four-wicket win on Friday, in which they successfully chased a target in excess of 300 in an ODI for the first time, the home side bowled with purpose and discipline through most of the innings but faded badly under the assault of Azam and Wasim at the end, conceding 84 runs off seven overs.
Pakistan found free scoring difficult at the start and lost both openers to excellent leg-side catches by wicketkeeper Shai Hope off fast bowlers Shannon Gabriel and Alzarri Joseph.
Azam then found a capable partner in Mohammad Hafeez, the pair putting on 69 for the third wicket before Hope was called into action again to effect a leg-side stumping off Ashley Nurse as the veteran batsman advanced down the pitch to the off-spinner.
Hope´s competence behind the stumps was again in evidence when he snared a chance offered by Shoaib Malik off leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, and when captain Sarfraz Ahmed fell to a catch at mid-on for a run-a-ball 26 off Gabriel to make the score 183 for five in the 39th over, it looked as if the tourists would struggle to post a challenging total.
But Azam and Wasim capitalised on poor bowling over the final eight overs, the pair hoisting five sixes in that period, including two in the final over bowled by occasional medium-pacer Jonathan Carter.
That over cost the West Indies 19 runs, the most expensive of the innings and was finished off by a straight six from Azam.
His classy knock occupied 132 deliveries and was embellished with three sixes and seven fours.
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