Pakistan 284-9 (49 ov); West Indies 175 (38.4/49 ov, target 287)
PAK: Babar Azam 120, Mohammed Nawaz 4-42; WI: Marlon Samuels 46, Carlos Brathwaite 3-54
SHARJAH // Babar Azam made a sparkling century to lead Pakistan's thriving young side into the light at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, as West Indies' listless tour of the UAE continues.
The 21-year-old batsman made 120, before 22-year-old spinner Mohammed Nawaz claimed four wickets to guide their side to a 111-run win.
It meant the Pakistanis took a 1-0 lead at the start of a three-match series which might matter greatly towards qualification for the 2019 World Cup.
More Pakistan v West Indies
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An hour and 20 minutes of play was lost because one of the four floodlights failed. An electricity cable linking the generator to the pylon on the western side of the stadium burnt through.
While the ground was hardly plunged into darkness, visibility for the players was less than perfect, and they were forced off.
The extended delay caused much frustration for the sizable crowd that had gathered after Friday prayers. It also punctured the late-over momentum that had just been swinging into gear for Pakistan.
When play did resume, with an over lost per side, West Indies’ bowlers responded best, keeping the home team to a total of 284 for nine. That was subsequently revised to a target of 287 for West Indies to win, via the Duckworth-Lewis method.
According to Sharjah administrators, it was the first time the DL formula had been used in a major one-day international at a ground where weather – bar the odd sandstorm – rarely causes an interruption.
It felt like one of those days at the UAE’s longest-established cricket venue. The stadium had had a spruce up ahead of this series, but maybe they employed lastminute.com to do the work.
The paint was still drying on the grandstand walls. And the advertising placards which are wrapped around the boundary rope were barely two-thirds finished by the time Shannon Gabriel, the West Indies fast bowler, sent down the first ball of the match.
Given that Azhar Ali, the Pakistan captain, then nicked off to that very delivery, he departed to the awkward backdrop of ground staff completing the boundary marking behind him.
If Sharjah had left their work till late in the day, then who knows when the West Indies players plan to begin theirs on this tour.
They arrived around two weeks ago, mired – typically, it feels like – in controversy, with no head coach, their World Twenty20-winning captain since sacked, and many leading players absent besides.
Ahead of all four matches so far, the players have made all the right noises about being professionals who are focused on their jobs.
The evidence of three defeats across the T20 series, and now the first 50-over match, though, suggest they are simply going through the motions.
They have been summarily outplayed by a developing Pakistan side who themselves are still finding their way in the limited-overs formats.
Of Pakistan’s new bloom, this match belonged to Azam. It was his maiden ODI century in his 16th match, and arrived on the back of a perky 20-over series in which he averaged 101.
His effort was only ended when Kieron Pollard plucked a stunning – although fair to say, trademark, given his ability as an outfielder – catch on the long on fence.
Pollard took it one handed, before relaying it high in the air as he was crossing the boundary, and he scampered back in-field to complete the catch.
Justifiably, he afforded himself an excitable celebration thereafter. The luminosity of that moment was otherwise lost in the gloom for the West Indies.
pradley@thenational.ae
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The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
Company%20Profile
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