Generation Next shine in Sharjah as Pakistan continue to thrive in a post-Afridi world

Paul Radley reports from the Sharjah Cricket Stadium as Pakistan wrapped up the ODI series against the West Indies with one match still to play.

Babar Azam, left, celebrates his century against the West Indies in the second ODI at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Francois Nel / Getty Images

SHARJAH // It was 20 years to the day since Shahid Afridi had made his debut in international cricket. October 2, 1996 in Nairobi was conspicuous for the fact the youthful legspinner did not actually do much. He did not bat, and managed no wickets.

No hint, there, of the craziness that was to follow, starting two days later when the 16 year old razed all records by hitting a 37-ball century, and continued more or less unrelentingly for the two decades that followed. Happy times.

Someone like Afridi is not easily forgotten. Even in his absence, that was true at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, as Pakistan met West Indies in this second one-day international of three.

During a lull in play, a set of supporters clad in the luminous yellow of the Peshawar Zalmi PSL franchise stood and chanted: “Bring back Shahid! Bring back Shahid!”

More from Pakistan v West Indies:

• Paul Radley: Babar Azam leads Pakistan's youth brigade

• Gallery: Babar Azam and Pakistan dominate West Indies in Sharjah

• First ODI: Babar Azam keeps Pakistan blooming in Sharjah

Really? Has that ship not finally sailed? Looking at the way Pakistan have performed over the past month, Generation Next have arrived. And they should be here to stay.

Two of the lead protagonists of Pakistan’s latest victory, a series-sealing 59-run win, were Babar Azam and Hasan Ali. Respectively, they were one and two years old when Afridi made his international debut.

While Babar again stole the limelight with a second century in the space of three days, Hasan provided the most striking image of the night, when he ran out Darren Bravo.

Bravo, who was anchoring the West Indies chase and had just hit three huge sixes, attempted a quick single off Hasan’s bowling.

In his follow through, Hasan swooped to collect the ball, turned while skidding on one knee, and threw down the stumps behind him. Colin Bland or Jonty Rhodes could not have done it better. And this from a Pakistani pace bowler. A Pakistani pace bowler! It felt surreal. Even more so as it was one of three run outs affected by Pakistan.

OK, so dropped catches still happen, and the foibles of old occasionally recur, but this feels like an energised Pakistan, catching up with the modern one-day game.

Babar was the star again. His effort at bettering the score he made on Friday was some feat of endurance, as much as it was skill.

Azhar Ali, the captain, has repeatedly stated his team are “ticking the fitness box,” and Babar, for one, is ample proof of that.

The first match started at a “feels like” temperature of 40C. This second match was not exactly wintry, either. Each time, Pakistan went in to bat when the heat was at its most oppressive, and Babar was at the wicket early in the piece both days.

In that time, he batted for 83 overs, then fielded for 100. He is not a player who punctures the boundary especially freely, and Sharjah’s outfield hardly allows for that, anyway.

As such, his main mode of scoring is running between the wickets. Seventy of his runs in the first game were scampered between the wickets, and 81 were this time. All of which adds up to an impressive cardio workout.

His 123 was the bedrock of Pakistan’s total of 337, and while West Indies did not exactly crumble like they had done in every other outing in this tour, the chase was always just beyond them.

And on Pakistan march to the future.

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