Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam faced immense flak following a series of low scores in recently-concluded Test series Bangladesh. However, Babar has given a strong retort to his critics with a stunning century in the Champions Cup match between the Stallions and the Dolphins. Babar scored an unbeaten 104 off 100 deliveries, guiding Stallions to a total of 271/7 in their stipulated 50 overs. The knock provided a much-needed boost of confidence for Azam, who was under the scanner coming into the tournament.
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Babar Azam's breathtaking century
Babar Azam's century was a masterclass in batting. Despite facing criticism and pressure, he displayed a class act, scoring 104 runs off 100 deliveries, including seven fours and three sixes. When Babar took the crease, the Stallions were in a comfortable position with a healthy run rate. However, the team's middle order collapsed, affecting Babar's scoring rate. Babar did slow down and faced criticism from his former captain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was seen sledging him. Undeterred, Babar ignored the negativity and boosted his scoring rate with a couple of impressive sixes in the second-last over.
Watch Babar Azam's celebration after completing century
Babar Azam's innings was crucial in guiding the Stallions to a respectable total. He finished the innings with a brilliant boundary on the second-last delivery of the final over, completing a well-deserved century. Babar had also scored a fifty in the Champions Cup clash against the Lions.
Following Shan Masood's dismissal, Babar Azam joined Yasir Khan at the crease. The duo continued to build the innings until the 16.1 over when Saud Shakeel dismissed Yasir (46 off 58). Tayyab Tahir replaced Yasir but was unable to make a significant contribution, being dismissed for 33 off 49.
The Stallions' woes continued as captain Mohammad Haris could only score six runs off 15 balls, leaving the team reeling at 162/4 in the 33.5 over. Hussain Talat, known for his ability to score runs down the order, replaced Haris and added 23 runs while batting with Babar, who had already reached his fifty. The tail-enders, Jahandad Khan and Mehran Mumtaz, could only contribute eight and three runs respectively. Mir Hamza, Faheem Ashraf, Qasim Akram, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Saud Shakeel each claimed one wicket, while Abbas Afridi remained wicketless.
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