Babar Azam, the former captain of Pakistan, faced another batting disappointment during the ongoing Test series against Australia. His third-inning performance in the third Test at Sydney on January 5 saw him being dismissed for a mere 23 runs off 52 balls.
Despite a slow yet stable start to his innings, marked by a lone boundary, Azam’s downfall came in the 21st over when the part-time spinner, Travis Head, delivered a flighted delivery. Attempting his favored cover drive, Azam ended up with an outside edge, allowing wicket-keeper Alex Carey to secure an easy catch and dismiss the Pakistani batsman.
Regrettably, Azam concludes the three-match Test series without a single half-century, with his series scores reading 21 and 14, 1 and 41, and 26 and 23.
Critics on social media, particularly X (formerly Twitter), didn’t hold back in expressing their disappointment. One user humorously remarked, “Give me freedom, Give me fire, Give me Zimbabwe or Nepal or I’ll retire,” implying that Azam performs well only against lower-ranked oppositions.
Following Azam and Saim Ayub’s dismissals in the third innings, Pakistan faced a middle-order collapse, reaching a precarious 68/7 after 26 overs at stumps on Day 3. They held an 82-run lead, with Mohammed Rizwan and Aamer Jamal at the crease. Australia’s Josh Hazlewood was instrumental, taking four wickets.
In the first innings, Pakistan posted 313 in 77.1 overs, with notable performances from Rizwan (88 runs off 103 balls) and Jamal (82 off 97 balls). Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, shone with figures of 5/61. In response, Australia scored 299 in 109.4 overs, with Marnus Labuschagne (60 off 147 balls) leading the way. Aamer Jamal was the standout bowler for Pakistan, claiming 6/69, while Agha Salman took two wickets.
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