[Watch] Imam-ul-Haq’s Early Wicket Gives Pakistan Nightmare World Cup Start
Imam-ul-Haq failed to leave his mark on Friday (AP Photos)
Pakistan had a dissastorious start in India in their opening warm-up match of the ODI World Cup against New Zealand on Friday (September 29). The Men in Green’s Imam-ul-Haq, currently the No. 5 ODI batsman in the world, fell cheaply after scoring a mere 10-ball 1 in Hyderabad.
Matt Henry drew the first blood, bowling with discipline with the new ball to get rewarded. His fourth ball of the third over was short outside off stump, which shaped away from Imam, who tried to cut the ball, which was too close to his body.
As a result, the extra bounce did the job, and after a thin outside edge, the ball went straight to Tom Latham’s big gloves.
However, Babar Azam and Adullah Shafique, who came in to open in place of Fakhar Zaman, steadied the ship after Imam’s early departure. At the end of 10 overs, the Men in Green have reached 33/1, with Babar scoring 17* off 27 deliveries.
Pakistan's first World Cup match will be against the Netherlands, on October 6 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. After that, they will play Sri Lanka on October 10 at the same venue, and will travel to Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for the India fixture, which will be played on October 14.
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