"Go to hell Fab 4... Our Babar Azam is Fab 1 only" - Twitter goes berserk after Pakistan skipper slams third T20I ton vs NZ

Cricket fans showered praise on Pakistan captain Babar Azam for notching up a magnificent hundred against New Zealand in the second T20l played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday (April 15).

Babar Azam won the toss and decided to bat first just a day after they took a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series. The Pakistan openers were on song once again as they built the tone of the innings.

The hosts finished the powerplay overs at 59 without any loss and both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan kept themselves busy finding gaps for boundaries.

Rizwan departed in the 11th over just after reaching his 24th T20I fifty as he mistimed a shot off Matt Henry and was caught at mid-off by Daryl Mitchell.

Pakistan observed a mini collapse in their innings, losing four wickets in the space of 14 balls for just six runs. In the meantime, Babar stayed firm at his crease and did not take any calculative risk.

It was only when Iftikhar Ahmed launched a 91-meter six off Rachin Ravindra's bowling that Babar Azam opened his hands. He reached his fifty in 36 balls.

How Babar Azam converted his fifty into 100?

Matt Henry, who took a hat-trick in the last game, conceded just 11 runs from his first three overs and picked up two wickets. However, Babar Azam spoiled Henry's figures in his fourth over by hammering a couple of sixes and a boundary to make it an 18-run over.

Babar was batting on 85 just before the final four balls of the innings were left to be bowled out. He thwacked one over long-off for a six off Jimmy Neesham before plundering with a couple of runs.

The Pakistan skipper smashed successive boundaries in the last two balls to complete his third T20I century. Babar remained unbeaten on 101 off 58 balls with his innings laced with 11 fours and three sixes.

Twitter went berserk to celebrate the latest riveting knock by the 28-year-old Pakistan leader. Here are some of the best reactions for Babar Azam.

About the author

Viransh is an Indian Sports journalist, who covers Table Tennis, Hockey, Badminton, Squash and Volleyball at Sportskeeda. His BMM degree in Journalism initially paved the way for his entry into sports writing and he has around 3.5 years of professional experience.

Viransh has a knack of getting on the ground at times in search of stories, but always ensures to verify them from multiple sources and exercises patience when gathering all relevant facts for the stories presented in his articles. His methods have helped build a strong authority in his field and he has interviewed star Indian cricketer Suryakumar Yadav’s club coach Vinayak Mane, and Arjuna Award winning Table Tennis paddler Sreeja Akula.

Viransh's interest in Indian sports piqued after PV Sindhu’s silver medal win at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and was further intensified by Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He admires legendary Indian Table Tennis paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal for his grind, his achievements and his resilience. According to him, Sharath Kamal’s bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games in mixed doubles with Manika Batra paved the way for a host of emerging stars in Table Tennis.

During his free time, he consumes all forms of sports content and also watches regional Indian cinema.

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