Babar Azam failed to make a mark in the first innings of the Rawalpindi Test.
Pakistan’s Babar Azam has come under the scanner for his dismal show in the first innings of the Rawalpindi Test against Bangladesh on Wednesday (August 21).
It was Pakistan’s first international match after their first-round exit from the T20 World Cup 2024, and Babar failed to make a mark.
The star batter bagged a two-ball duck as he was caught behind the wicket while attempting to steer the ball down the leg-side.
On Babar Azam's glance, Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das plucked a diving one-handed catch of Shoriful Islam. As a result, the hosts were reduced to 16/3 after the visitors on the toss and elected to bowl first.
Babar’s dismissal, without troubling the scorers, saw him facing severe criticism and trolling from the fans on social media.
Here are the reactions:
Coming to the match, the duo of Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel shared a 98-run stand for the fourth wicket to bail Pakistan out of trouble.
While Saim fell after scoring 56, Saud stayed unbeaten on 57 alongside Mohammad Rizwan (24*) to take the home team to 158/4 at stumps on Day 1.
Notably, no play was possible before lunch in Rawalpindi due to wet outfield and only 41 overs were bowled on the opening day.