Sammy smashes 16-ball 29 but World XI fall to Pakistan 

Former West Indies T20 captain Darren Sammy smashed an unbeaten 16-ball 29  but the World XI side went down by 20 runs in the first match of their three-match series in Lahore on Tuesday.

Sammy, who smashed three sixes and a four, was the joint top scorer for the World XI side that was chasing a formidable 197 for 5 set by the hosts that were playing an international match at home for almost a decade.

Pakistan owe their match-winning total to Babar Azam whose 52-ball 86 set the foundation for the Pakistan total.

The 22-year-old right hander arrived at the crease following the dismissal of Fakhar Zaman and proceeded to dominate a 122-run partnership with Ahmed Shahzad (39) to give the home side a solid platform on which to build their match-winning total.

With the foundation set Shoaib Malik and Imad Wasim plundered 48 runs in the last three overs as Pakistan scored what was their fourth-highest T20 total.

Needing better than 9.85 runs an over Hashim Amla and Tamim Iqbal got off to good starts then both fell in the fifth over. Faf du Plessis (29) kept World XI in the hunt, taking 22 off a Hasan Ali over, but Imad Wasim restrained the World XI batsmen giving up only 22 runs in his four overs.

Sohail Khan 2 for 28, Rummann Raees 2 for 37, and Shadab Khan 2 for 33 reaped the benefits as the World XI struggled to keep pace, and despite Sammy’s belligerent hitting at the end, Pakistan’s total ultimately proved elusive.

Pakistan lead the three-match series 1-0, with two games to go.

The second T20I will be played at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday