Pakistan captain and talisman Babar Azam scored a century to help steer Pakistan to a five-wicket victory over the West Indies in a keenly contested ODI in Multan on Wednesday.

Chasing a challenging 306 for victory from their 50 overs, Babar scored 103 from 107 balls and only hit nine fours as Pakistan achieved their target with four balls to spare.

He featured in a 103-run second-wicket partnership with Imam-ul-Haq who made 65 from 71 balls after Fakhar Zaman was dismissed by Jayden Seales in the seventh over when Pakistan had reached 26.

Babar and Mohammad Rizwan then added an additional 108 for the third wicket before he was dismissed by Alzarri Joseph in the 42^nd with the score at 237.

Rizwan fell to the bowling of Romario Shepherd for 59 in the 45^th over with the match still evenly balanced with Pakistan needing 50 for victory.

Khushdil Shah swung the match in Pakistan’s favour when he smashed an unbeaten 41 from 23 balls hitting four sixes along the way. The 47^th over proved to be decisive as he smeared Shepherd over the boundary ropes for three consecutive sixes in an over that yielded 20 and at the end of which Pakistan needed only 24 from the last 18 balls.

He hit his fourth from the penultimate ball of Shepherd’s next over leaving Pakistan to get six runs from the final over.

Mohammad Nawaz duly obliged hitting Seales back over his head for six to seal the victory.

Alzarri Joseph bowled well for his figures of 2-55 while Seales ended with 1-53. Shah’s onslaught on Shepherd resulted in the bowler giving up 70 runs from his nine overs, half of them scored from his last two overs.

Earlier, Shai Hope scored his 12^th ODI century as the West Indies batted well for their 305-8 from their allotment.

After losing his opening partner Kyle Mayers for just three in the third over with the West Indies on nine, Hope and Shamarh Brooks repaired the early damage with a second-wicket partnership of 154 before Brooks was brilliantly caught at short third man by Shadab Khan off the bowling of Nawaz for 70.

Cameos of 21 from 16 balls by Captain Nicholas Pooran, 32 from 23 balls from Rovman Powell and 25 from 18 by Shepherd carried the West Indies past 300.

Though he proved expensive Haris Rauf was the best of the Pakistan bowlers with 4-77 from his 10 overs. Shaheen Shah Afridi took 2-55.