"Missed his well-deserved hundred by just 100 runs" - Fans troll Babar Azam for 3-ball duck in the 1st ODI against Afghanistan

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was trolled mercilessly after being dismissed for a three-ball duck in the first ODI of the three-match series against Afghanistan in Hambantota, Sri Lanka.

The series kicks off a grueling schedule for both teams, with the Asia Cup starting next week and the ICC ODI World Cup to follow.

Ranked number one men's batter in ODIs, Babar was trapped plumb in front by Mujeeb Ur Rahman off the Afghanistan bowler's first delivery to him. The right-handed batter played down the wrong line to a quickish delivery that spun back in sharply.

It was also his second consecutive duck against Afghanistan across formats, following his outing in their Asia Cup encounter a year ago.

Babar's dismissal saw the Pakistan top-order crumble against quality bowling from the Afghan spinners. They slipped to 62/4 in 17 overs before a 50-run partnership between Imam-ul-Haq and Iftikhar Ahmed brought a semblance of respectability.

Despite the rare failure, Babar has been in excellent form in ODIs this year, averaging 47.22 in nine games.

However, fans on Twitter were quick to point out Babar's inability to score against quality spin. Several of them also took shots at his 100+ average in ODIs against Zimbabwe as a dig at the batter piling on the runs against weaker opposition.

Here are some of the best reactions:

"We have our ideas locked in for the Asia Cup and the World Cup" - Babar Azam

The two teams kicked off their first-ever bilateral ODI series.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam expressed confidence in their plans for the upcoming Asia Cup and World Cup. The series marks the first time Pakistan and Afghanistan face off in a bilateral ODI series, with the former holding the overall edge in the format with a 4-0 scoreline.

They played each other in their first-ever T20 series earlier this year, with Afghanistan stunning their Asian neighbors 2-1.

"We just need to believe in ourselves and play with a clear mindset. We have our ideas locked in for the Asia Cup and the World Cup, but there are still a few youngsters we want to try, that's why we have a squad of 18," said Babar during the toss for the first ODI against Afghanistan.

Babar is coming off an impressive Lanka Premier League (LPL) season before the start of this series. The elegant batter was the second leading run-scorer, with 261 runs at an average of 32.62, including a century and a half-century.

Despite his brilliance, the Colombo Strikers finished at the bottom of the points table, with only three wins in eight games.

Following the Afghanistan series, Pakistan will kickstart their Asia Cup campaign against Nepal on August 30 before the high-voltage encounter against arch-rivals India on September 2.