Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is rarely seen losing his cool on the field. After a thrilling one-wicket win over Afghanistan in the second ODI, Azam was not happy with the run out at non-striker's end by Fazalhaq Farooqi and he made it known to the opposition. During the customary handshake, Azam was fuming. He had a short conversation with former Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi and pointed towards Farooqi.
However, Nabi did not let the situation escalate and moved on. The conversation took place in front of the on-field umpires Bismillah Jan Shinwari and Sharfuddoula. The video of the incident has been making rounds on the internet since August 24 night.
In the last over of the match, Pakistan needed 11 runs from the final over. Shadab Khan who had revived the run chase with his 35-ball 48 was desperate to get on the strike against Fazalhaq Farooqi. But the left-arm bowler saw Shadab taking off early and ran him out at the non-striker’s end.
The on-field umpire referred it upstairs. Third umpire Nitin Menon ruled it in the favour of Afghanistan as Shadab walked off the field reluctantly.
But Naseem Shah ensured once again that Pakistan did not suffer their maiden defeat in limited overs against Afghanistan. Shah hit a boundary and took a single. Then Haris Rauf played the ball in the gap to take three runs. On the penultimate delivery, Shah managed a boundary via the outside edge to finish off the game.
While Azam was fuming after the match, he did not express his displeasure in the post-match presentation as he said, “All credit to boys. When we're starting with the bat, we just tried to get partnerships. Just wanted to see after 40 overs where we stand. Had the quality of batting later on. In crunch situations, Naseem has performed well. Always have to improve in cricket. You're never satisfied. Have to play the natural game. Looking forward to the last match. Looking to carry the momentum.”
After bagging a three-ball duck in the first ODI, he scored 53 runs in the run chase. Pakistan will look to complete a clean sweep on August 26.
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