PAKISTAN’S skipper Misbah -ul-Haq struck a resilient unbeaten 101 for his team who reached 330 for 7 declared in their two-day practice match against a Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) President’s XI at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground yesterday. Asked to bat a minimum of 15 overs before the close of play, Guyana reached 25 without loss off 5.3 overs before bad light stopped play at 17:34hrs with Trevon Griffith who struck Wahab Riaz for two fours in one over, on 20 and Shemroy Barrington 5.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan won the toss and opting to take first strike on a nice batting track, moved to 86 without loss at lunch, with Mohammed Hafeez, who was bowled by a Keon Joseph’s no ball, on 46 and Azhar Ali 38.
Prior to being given his life, Hafeez struck the same bowler through point and extra cover for boundaries, while Ali hit Zaheer Mohamed over long off for six, followed by a flick to fine leg off Ronsford Beaton, as the Guyanese struggled to make inroads in the Pakistani’s innings.
Guyana got the breakthrough in the third over, when Shemroy Barrington took a straight forward catch at gully to send back Hafeez for 52, but not before the batsman posted his half century off 76 deliveries with six fours and 102 minutes batting before he was dismissed.
Asad Shafiq replaced Hafeez and signalled his intentions to crack into Pakistan’s starting eleven for the first test match, with an authoritative front foot drive through extra cover off the third ball he faced from Beaton that pushed Pakistan to 98 for 1.
Pakistan posted their 100 from 24.2 overs, with Ali on 42 and Shafiq 8 and the former batsman posted his half century from 67 deliveries and 120 minutes with eight fours and one six, before he was caught and bowled by West Indies Under-19 leg spinner Amir Khan for 57.
He was followed by Shafiq, whose leg stump was sent cart wheeling by a devastating leg cutter from Joseph, before Misbah –Ul-Haq who had replaced Ali, punched Khan through the cover region followed by another over wide mid on for four to raise the 150 for his team in the 38th over.

Narsingh Deonarine replaced Fudadin at the North Road End and was welcomed with a four through mid wicket by Umar Akmal, while Ul-Haq stroked him through a vacant cover point for four to push the score to 183 for 3.
Guyana picked up Akmal just before tea, when the batsman was adjudged lbw to Mohammed for 26, bringing an end to the 69 runs fourth wicket partnership with Ul-Haq who was joined by Hammad Azam (05) who was dropped by Khan off his own bowling, as Guyana kept a tight rein on the number six ranked test playing nation after the luncheon break.
Ul-Haq responded to the demise of Akmal by hitting Khan over wide long on for six to raise his team’s 200 from 210 minutes and 51.4 overs of batting, while taking his score to 39, before Azam was caught by Barrington at forward short leg off Mohammed at 215-5 in the 57th over.
At tea, Pakistan were 220 for 6 with Ul-Haq on 49 and Mohammad Salman on 12 that included a six struck over the head of Khan,  as Guyana took five wickets during the session while conceding 134 runs from 38 overs, with Mohammed picking up two of the wickets to fall.
After tea, Ul-Haq posted his half century, pulling his 83rd faced from Mohammed through mid on for his sixth four to go along with his lone six while batting for 106 minutes, then watched as Salman struck Khan through the extra cover region for four.
A double strike by Khan in the 62nd over, accounted for Salman who was lbw after hitting the bowler back over long off for six and Abdul Rehman who was bowled playing forward for 2, leaving Pakistan on 244 for 7.
Even though the wickets were falling at the other end, Ul-Haq showed he was not fazed, moving from 68 to 84 after hitting Mohammed for a four and two sixes off successive deliveries, while pushing Pakistan to 290 for 7 from 69 overs.
A Ul-Haq slog sweep over wide mid wicket off Khan pushed the batsman to 90, with the ball ending up in the adjoining Georgetown Football Club ground, before Umar Gul welcomed back Beaton into the attack with an authoritative front foot drive through mid off for four to post the team’s 300.
Dutifully, Ul-Haq posted his ton from 132 deliveries with seven fours and four sixes while batting for 184 minutes, before Pakistan declared their first innings close at 330 for 7 at 16:50hrs, with Ul-Haq and Gul unbeaten on 101 and 40 respectively, the two adding 86 for their unbroken eighth wicket partnership.

PAKISTAN first innings
M. Hafeez c Barrington b Beaton 52
A. Ali c&b Khan 57
A. Shafiq b Joseph 21
M. Ul-Haq not out 101
U. Akmal lbw Mohammed 26
H. Azam c Barrington b Mohammed 05
M. Salman lbw Khan 12
A. Rehman b Khan 02
U. Gul not out 40
Extras (b8, lb2, 2nb, w1) 13
Total (for 7 wickets declared off 75 overs) 330
Fall of wicket: 1-92, 2-136, 3-136, 4-205, 5-215, 6-242, 7-244
Bowling: Beaton 10-1-62-1 (1w), Joseph 10-2-44-1 (1nb), Mohammed 16-2-68-2, Fudadin 10-1-42-0 (1nb), Khan 26-2-88-3, Deonarine 3-0-16-0

GUYANA first innings
T. Griffith not out 20
S. Barrington not out 05
Total without loss off 5.3 overs25
Bowling: Gul 3-1-4-0, Riaz 2.3-0-21-0