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Pakistan captain Babar Azam suffered a batting failure in the Super 4 match against Sri Lanka on Thursday (September 14) at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. He could only score 29 runs from 35 balls in the first innings of the must-win match for his side.
Babar Azam came in during the fourth over after Fakhar Zaman's dismissal. Abdullah Shafique (52) and Babar put on a 64-run partnership for the second wicket to stabilize things after an early wicket.
Dunith Wellalage also rode high on confidence after a five-wicket haul against India on Tuesday. He gave a massive breakthrough to Sri Lanka by dismissing Azam in the 16th over. The Pakistan skipper could not build on his start and left his side in a vulnerable state after getting stumped out by a beautiful delivery from Wellalage.
Babar started Asia Cup 2023 with a bang by scoring 151 (131) against Nepal. However, he has not been able to replicate a similar form in the following games against India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka so far. Fans took note of this trend and trolled him on social media platforms using hilarious memes.
Here are some of the best memes:
Babar Azam is actually leading that shoot-out match: Matthew Hayden feels Pakistan skipper has an edge over Virat Kohli
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden recently analyzed the batting statistics of Babar Azam and Virat Kohli. He felt that Babar held the edge over his counterpart at this stage due to his superior record. During an interaction on the Star Sports show Game Plan, Hayden weighed in on the debate and said:
"Babar Azam is a champion. He comes back from these things time and time again because that's what champions do. When you think about the statistical comparison at the same stage, Virat vs Babar, Babar Azam is actually leading that shoot-out match."
He added:
"So that's how significant he is to the Pakistani team lineup. Babar is central not only because he is the captain but he is absolutely central in terms of the talent of that batting unit."
Hayden added:
"We all understand that Pakistan cricket over the years and particularly this side is very top-heavy and Babar carries the weight of that always. So when his performances aren't quite on song, it matters."
Do you agree with Hayden's views above? Let us know in the comments section.
