Babar on cusp of history in second West Indies ODI
While individual accolades may be on top of the mind for fans staying up late into the night in Multan, the match is crucial for both sides with ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League points and automatic 2023 CWC qualification spots on the line.
Pakistan sit awkwardly in the seventh spot though, have a 7-6 winning record in the competition to date, while the Windies are on fourth, though with just five matches left in the competition.
A finish outside the top eight would mean a path via next year's World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, a road taken by the West Indies for the 2019 campaign.
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Remember the last time
Babar was also quickest to 17 ODI centuries, though he wasn't the only player to reach three figures in the contest, with West Indies Shai Hope again showing his class.
His 127 set up a first-innings total of 305 for the tourists, a score that was only chased down in the final over, thanks to some Khushdil Shah brilliance.
Shamarh Brooks, who has been in a fine form, also contributed with an innings of 70. For Pakistan, the reliable Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan made crucial fifties.
The standout bowler from the game was Haris Rauf, although slightly expensive in terms of giving away runs, he claimed four wickets including the prized scalp of centurion Hope.
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What they said:
**Pakistan captain Babar Azam: "**Cricket has changed and we have to play proactively and with planning and intent. The plans were made, and we executed them well. The way Khushdil finished, was great. The partnerships are important and that is what we wanted to do, to help the finishers end the game."
West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran:"Very proud of the guys, they gave it all. We could have been on the other side but that's cricket. It seemed the game could have gone anyway even in the last four overs. We are a young team and we move forward from here."
Squads
**Pakistan:**Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mahmood
West Indies: Nicholas Pooran (c), Shai Hope, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Keacy Carty, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Shermon Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Keemo Paul, Anderson Phillip, Rovman Powell, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh Jr