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Pakistan's former captain Babar Azam, once again failed to convert a promising start into a substantial score in the ongoing Test match against England.
Babar Azam's Struggles Continue in Pakistan vs England Test
Despite batting on a pitch that favored batters, Azam was dismissed for 30 runs off 71 balls on Day 1.
Babar's inability to score a fifty in 17 consecutive Test innings has drawn criticism from fans and experts. His recent low scores have raised concerns about his form in the longer format. In contrast, Pakistan's current captain, Shan Masood, achieved a century in just 102 balls, highlighting the batting-friendly conditions in Multan. Azam's last Test half-century came against New Zealand in December 2022, further emphasizing his ongoing struggles.
On the penultimate over of the day, Babar Azam attempted to flick a delivery from Chris Woakes. However, the ball struck his pad, and the on-field umpire ruled him out leg-before. Despite a review, the decision was upheld, confirming that the ball would have hit the leg stump.
It's been 651 days since Babar hasn't scored a single fifty in Tests. Over this period, Babar's scores in the longest format read:
14 (Karachi); 24 and 27 (Karachi) against New Zealand, 2022/23
13 and 24 (Galle); 39 (SSC) against Sri Lanka, 2023
21 and 14 ((Perth); 1 and 41 (Melbourne); 26 and 23 (Sydney) against Australia, 2023/24
0 and 22 (Rawalpindi); 31 and 11 (Rawalpindi) against Bangladesh, 2024
30 (Multan) against England, 2024/25
Social media users didn't spare Babar after his shoddy show with the bat on the batter-friendly pitch in Multan and trolled him left, right and centre.
One of the social media users on X wrote:
"On a Pitch where 70 Balls 50 is easy to score, Babar Azam dismissed for 30 Runs in 71 Balls 👀 Real Tuk Tuk at Multan".
Talking about the match, captain Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique both scored centuries as Pakistan took charge on Day 1 of the first Test against a revamped England pace attack on Monday. Masood, marking his first Test century in four years, struck 151 off 177 balls, while Shafique played a smooth innings, contributing 102 runs. Their efforts helped the home team finish the day at 328/4.
