Afridi rampages in Pakistan win

Shahid Afridi scored a thumping century, and followed it up with a four-wicket haul to take Pakistan to an emphatic 248-run win in their warm-up match against Antigua & Barbuda President’s XI at St. John’s, Antigua.

Afridi opened the innings for Pakistan, after they sent themselves in, with a characteristically aggressive 104 off a mere 46 balls, which included an expansive eight sixes, to spur the tourists to a mammoth 366/7 in their 50 overs.

One of Afridi’s hit, a wristy flick off medium pacer Ricky Christopher, sailed out of the ground, and landed in a nearby chruch yard.

Yousuf Youhana built on Afridi’s innings, with a saliently composed 87 off 79 balls with seven fours and three sixes, while vice-captain Younis Khan notched up a half century too, albeit at a much slower pace, consuming 83 balls for his 53.

Chasing the target was never going to be easy, but the home team made a mockery out of it, with only all-rounder Wilden Cornwall, with 46 from 44 balls, preventing a shameful defeat of larger proportion.

As if Afridi’s rampant innings wasn’t enough, he came back with the ball to dismiss the lower-middle order and the tail, within a matter of only a handful of runs, to seal off a truly dominant 248-run dominant win, with figures of 4/6.

Pakistan 366 for 7 in 50 overs
Shahid Afridi 104, Yousuf Youhana 87, Younis Khan 53, Kamran Akmal 56, C Hampson 2/47
Antigua & Barbuda President’s XI 118 all out in 32.4 overs
WW Cornwall 46, Shabbir Ahmed 2/19, Shahid Afridi 4/6, Shoaib Malik 2/20