Pakistan batsman Babar Azam did not have a great outing with the bat in the ongoing third Test against Australia. The dead rubber match between the teams will take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney.
The ongoing series has been the worst for Pakistani batsman Babar Azam. He hasn’t been able to get going because Australia’s pacers, especially Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, have completely outclassed him. They have not allowed the former Pakistan captain to score freely.
The first two games were torrid for Babar Azam but he looked in good touch in the ongoing third Test. During the second innings of the game a lot was expected of him because Pakistan was scoring a goal and his services were much needed.
Babar Azam played a decent role and played some magnificent shots. But he couldn’t convert the output he had. The right-hander, however, was fully focused and ready to fight for his team as they sought their first Test victory in Australia in a long time.
During his innings, one of the most unexpected things was at play. Babar Azam, who is mostly calm and cheerful in nature, was seen having a fierce confrontation with pacer Mitchell Starc, who did not go easy on the batsman.
It was during the last ball of the third over that Mitchell Starc was bowling to Saim Ayub. The pacer bowled a delivery that was out of reach of the left-hander. The youngster left the ball and as the pacer followed him, things got heated.
Mitchell Starc was seen saying something to Babar Azam in anger. The batsman, however, did not hold back and also replied a few words and moved on. The fast bowler gave him a death glare before taking the field. The video of the incident has gone viral on the Internet.
Here is the video:
Heated combo between Starc and Babar Azam. (Zimbabar thinks he knows how to bat or sledge…!) 😜📷#babar #starc #PinkTest #AUSvsPAK #PAKvsFAIR pic.twitter.com/A8htdMxze6
– bhavishya aneja (@AnejaBhavi55798) January 5, 2024
PAK vs AUS: Babar Azam dies for 23 runs in second innings; Pakistan takes 82-run lead
Pakistan was in a prime position in the game to win. However, they only have themselves to blame for the collapse they suffered during the second innings while setting a target.
Pakistan bowled out Australia by just 299 runs, taking a lead of 14 runs. They were expected to make a good outing with the bat in the second innings and set a big target. They started poorly, losing Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood early.
Babar Azam was expected to put in a strong performance when required but once again he passed away after a start. He died for just 23 runs and overall had a horrible series. In 6 innings he scored 126 runs at an average of just 21.
After his wicket, Pakistan suffered a terrible collapse as they were reduced from 58/2 to 67/7 in no time. Mohammed Rizwan is in the box and the team will be hoping that he will take them to a big total. On Day 3, Pakistan had a lead of 82 runs.
