Mohammad Hafeez scored his fifth century in one-day international cricket to put Pakistan in a commanding position in the first match of their series against Ireland at Clontarf on Wednesday. The Pakistan innings was interrupted four times by rain but only three overs were lost and the tourists scored 144 off 16 overs after the final rain-break to finish on 266 for five.
Ireland's revised target was 276 off 47 overs. Hafeez, who came to the wicket in the 13th over, finished on 122 not out, from 113 balls with 12 fours and two sixes and shared a second wicket stand of 188 with Asad Shafiq who fell 16 runs short of a deserved hundred.
The number one ranked ODI all-rounder, Hafeez still considers himself primarily a batsman and he showed why with a fluent innings full of well-timed drives and deft, late cuts. When he brought up his century in the 44th over, he kissed the Clontarf pitch before raising his bat to the many Pakistan fans at the Dublin venue.
Nasir Jamshed had to retire hurt with back trouble early in his innings, although he returned at the fall of the second wicket, and when Imran Farhat was caught at first slip by Paul Stirling, both openers were back in the pavilion with only 33 on the board.
But the Hafeez-Shafiq partnership put Pakistan in control, broken when the latter was caught at long-on, his 84 coming off just 89 balls with nine boundaries. Pakistan's 221 for one became 231 for four when captain Misbah-ul-Haq was run out without facing a ball, after both batsmen ended up in the middle of the pitch but three fours from Kamran Akmal and a final flourish from Hafeez, who fittingly ended the innings with another boundary, left Ireland with much to do. Alex Cusack and Kevin O'Brien were their only successful bowlers, each taking two wickets.