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Umar second Pakistani to score ton on foreign land on debut

Staff Report

LAHORE: Umar Akmal, the younger brother of Pakistan wicketkeeper and vice captain Kamran Akmal, on Thursday became the second Pakistani to score a ton in his maiden Test match on a foreign land when he hit scintillating 129 off 160 balls against New Zealand in Dunedin. Before him, Fawad Alam had hit a century against Sri Lanka, a few months ago. Overall, he is 83rd batsman of the world and 12th Pakistani to get that grace.

Umar, 19, opened his maiden first-class season in a triumphant mood in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in 2007-08 for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited. Though failed to score in his first outing, he piled up 855 runs from nine matches with an impressive average of 77.72 and a strike-rate of over 90. In January last year, he was selected for Pakistan’s Under-19 team for the World Cup in Malaysia. He also remained the top scorer in a tri-nation tournament in the lead-up to the World Cup, involving England and Sri Lanka by amassing 255 runs at a strike-rate of 123.18.

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