World XI openers Hashim Amla and Tamim Iqbal steadily kicked off the innings against Pakistan at Gaddafi stadium while chasing 198 runs to win the first match of Independence Cup.
Pakistan got their first breakthrough as fast bowler Rumman Raees dismissed Iqbal by bolding him out in his first over.
The skipper played a brief but a classic inning of 29 off 18 balls, which included four boundaries and a six. Shadab Khan took the breakthrough for Pakistan by dismissing him by his googly.
Tim Paine departed on the score 25 off 25 after falling prey to the delivery of Sohail Khan.
Shadab was seen overwhelmed with passion after dismissing David Miller on the very next ball after getting hit out of the ground.
Fortunately for Pakistan, the famous PSL 'bat-drop' from Grant Elliot didn't happen tonight. The Kiwi batsman was dismissed on a slow-ball by fast bowler Sohail Khan.
Earlier, fiery innings by Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik put Pakistan on top against the visitors.
Pakistan lost its first wicket in the very first over of the game as Fakhar Zaman edged to first slip on the bowl of Morne Morkel. After the dismissal of Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam was joined on the crease by Ahmad Shahzad.
Babar Azam and Ahmed Shahzad put on a solid partnership for the third wicket, however, both were dismissed within a few overs of each other.
Pakistan lost its second wicket when Ahmed Shahzad (39) was dismissed by Ben Cutting in the 15th over of the innings.
Babar Azam played a magnificent knock but fell short of his century when he was dismissed by Imran Tahir for 86.
Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed failed to score big as he was caught behind on a delivery of Sri lankan bowler Thesara Perera. Ahmed scored 4 runs.
Shoaib Malik took ahead Pakistani innings with his formidable 38 runs off 20 balls. He scored four boundaries and two sixes. Malik was dismissed by Sri lankan bowler Thisara Perera.
Imad Wasim was the next batsman to come. He scored a massive six in the last ball of the Pakistani batting inning.
Earlier, the World XI won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pakistan.
Speaking after the toss, skipper Sarfraz Ahmed said the team wanted to bat first and are looking forward to an exciting match.
He also remarked that there could be no better opportunity for the young players to show their talent.
“Our main focus is on cricket now,” said the team captain
Captain of World XI, Faf du Plesis, referred to the match, as a 'historic moment', adding that he is honoured to lead Word XI and playing the match will be a new experience for all the visiting side. Plesis, referred to the match, as a 'historic moment', adding that he is honoured to lead Word XI and playing the match will be a new experience for all the visiting side.
Squads
The Pakistani playing-11 is: Ahmad Shahzad, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Fahim Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Sohail Khan, Hassan Ali and Rumman Raees.
World XI: Tamim Iqbal, Hashim Amla, Faf Du Plessis, David Miller, Grant Elliot, Thisara Perrera, Tim Pain, Ben Cutting, Darren Sammy, Morne Morkal, Imran Tahir Morkal, Imran Tahir
Pakistan, for the first time after winning the Champions Trophy, are facing a star-studded World XI team for the first of three T20 matches at the Gaddafi Stadium tonight, in a history-making event which sees the return of high-profile international cricket to the country after a wait of eight years.
Earlier, the World XI team left for Gaddafi Stadium at around 5pm, with strict security in place on the routes leading to the stadium.
Gates of the stadium also opened for spectators around the same time and a large number of people thronged to the stadium in public transport.
The World XI, led by South African skipper Faf du Plessis, reached Lahore on Monday morning amid tight security, with West Indian spinner Samuel Badree joining the team earlier today and completing the stellar line-up of 14 players from seven Test-playing countries.
The other notable players of the World XI are South Africa great Hashim Amla, West Indies’ twice-T20 World Cup winning captain Darren Sammy, Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal, former England captain Paul Collingwood, New Zealand’s Grant Elliott and George Bailey from Australia.
The historic series will be closely monitored by other cricket boards and Pakistan expects it will pave the way for the country to host Sri Lanka and West Indies later this year.
In March, calls for the return of international cricket picked up steam after the final of the domestic T20 Pakistan Super League, featuring high-profile foreign players such as World Cup winner Darren Sammy, was held in Lahore.
"It´s a great opportunity to showcase Pakistan," Sethi said, adding that these matches could revive cricket in the country. "This is a momentous occasion."
Over 6,000 police officials and paramilitary officers have been deployed around the stadium, according to provincial government spokesman Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan.
"A foolproof security plan has been devised for the protection of the teams and spectators," he said.
The streets of Lahore were swathed in posters of the visiting players and advertisements for the matches.
Long queues formed at vendors across the city and many fans were turned away as tickets sold out.
"I am very excited," Lahore resident Qasim Ali Shah told Reuters.
"I have bought a ticket, an expensive one, and will go to watch the match tomorrow.
Local television channels had pre-match footage on a constant loop, showing players arriving for practice at Lahore´s Gaddafi Stadium.
For young fans and many players on the team itself, it is one of the first times they can experience a high-profile match on home turf.
Pakistan´s cricket board has shouldered the expense of hosting matches in Dubai since the 2009 attack and lost considerable revenue in fees and other expenses.
"Dubai has proven to be a very expensive venue and my sense is we will cut our costs by 50 percent when it comes back to Pakistan," Sethi said.
For Sarfraz Ahmed’s side, 10 players have the opportunity to represent their country for the first time on home turf. Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Rumman Raees, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan Shinwari, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Aamer Yamin and Umar Amin will be playing for the first time on Pakistani soil.
Sarfraz has accepted that the occasion is overwhelming for the players, but they are now thinking of building on the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 success. "This is our first event after the Champions Trophy so we are ready for it. We have prepared well and will do our best to win the series. The opponents are formidable with some good Twenty20 players so the task is tough," he said.
Mohammad Amir, however, is expected to miss the opening few matches of the series.
"Amir has been the lynchpin in our attack," said Sarfraz. "He so ruthlessly rocked the Indian top order so we will miss him but we announced a squad of 16 players for the matches and hopefully Sohail Khan will do the job."
World XI captain Faf du Plessis told reporters in Lahore it was a "huge honour" to be playing the highest-profile event in cricket-mad Pakistan.
"It´s not every day you get an opportunity to play in something that is much more than just about yourself and your own team or your own country," du Plessis said.
World XI coach Andy Flower, who toured Pakistan in 1993, 1996 and 1998 with Zimbabwe, said he and his team were "privileged" to be there.
"We, as the World XI, would also like to offer our sympathy and condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones in terrorist acts in Pakistan," he said.
"These cricketers are here to play their part in the safe and steady return of international cricket in Pakistan, so that the enthusiastic and diehard fans and followers of Pakistan cricket can once again start watching their stars in their own backyard."
Much like the Champions Trophy final between India and Pakistan, this series looks set to be a contest between Pakistan's bowling versus World XI's batting in the end.
