The recently concluded third day of the second Test match of England’s tour of Pakistan 2022 in Multan was particularly a fruitful day with the bat in hand for Pakistan captain Babar Azam.
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Coming in to bat at No. 4 in the 16th over, Azam lasted for a total of 10 deliveries to contribute a solitary run in a 355-run chase. With Pakistan losing vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan (30) right after the lunch interval, Azam following his deputy back to the dressing room had put them in a spot of bother especially with a lack of clarity around batter Imam-ul-Haq’s hamstring injury.
Dismissed by England pacer Ollie Robinson in the first innings, Azam was dismissed by the same bowler in the same mode today as well. Azam, who wasn’t entirely wrong in opting to shoulder arms to a delivery well outside the off-stump, was left bemused after the ball seamed back sharply to hit the stumps.
Babar Azam ridiculed by fans after shouldering arms to Ollie Robinson in Multan Test
After being at the receiving end of a mind-blowing delivery, Azam also found himself to be at the receiving end of unnecessary criticism. It was whilst returning back to the dressing room that Azam was ridiculed by fans of the Pakistani cricket team.
Fans, who were heard shouting “Zimbabwe Zimbabwe” to signify how Azam performs only against lower-ranked teams, not only made a mockery of their captain but also did the same with respect to an international team.
Nicknamed King Babar by his fans, the end of a 15-second viral video across social media platforms also comprised of a fan shouting “Ghante ka King” (derogatory term loosely meaning “Not a king”) to the 28-year old player.
Azam, who had scored a half-century in the first innings, receiving such criticism amid a below par patch by his personal standards was quite unjustified. Contrary to popular perception, it is false that Azam only scores runs against comparatively weaker oppositions. Click here to know about Azam’s runs against all teams in international cricket.
