DUBAI // Fourteen years after being an anonymous, teenaged fielding substitute in the match when Inzamam-ul-Haq scored 329 in a Test, Azhar Ali joined one of cricket’s most exclusive clubs himself.
The Pakistan opener hit 302 not out, as they amassed a huge tally of 579 for three against West Indies in the first Test at Dubai International Stadium.
Azhar, who was recently jeered by his country’s own supporters while captaining them in a one-day international in Sharjah, became the fourth Pakistani to score a Test triple century.
It also meant he was the first player to score a triple in a Test in the UAE, having already ticked off the landmarks of becoming the first to 100, 200 and then 300 in a day-night Test.
“It is a great achievement scoring 300, and for me it is a really proud moment,” Azhar, 31, said. “I can’t really explain my feelings. The way the team and captain supported me through the last few runs when I was nearing 300, it was exceptional. I will remember it the whole of my life.”
The last Pakistani to reach 300, Younis Khan, would have been playing in this match, were it not for injury. Azhar, who said he Younis is a role model for him, says he still has much to do to improve his own game.
“When you look at the names of the players who have scored triple centuries, they have been exceptional, world-class players,” Azhar said. “I am still working hard on my game, so to get on that 300 list is a proud moment.”
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Azhar did press-ups when he reached 200, with the first two balls after the tea break, but opted not to repeat the celebration 100 runs later.
The Lahore-born batsman must have been exhausted by that point. He changed his shirt before each session on Friday, and had suffered from cramp on Day 1.
“It was hard,” he said. “I was sweating all the time, and yesterday I was getting cramp. But once you get runs you feel motivated about what is in front of you.
“It makes you keep going, and also if you get in on a pitch like this, you want to make it big. If your chance comes, you can convert it into a double or triple hundred.
“That really boosted me. I had to drink a lot of fluids. It was tough, but I kept going, and I am really happy we have set up a really big total.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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