3 times Babar Azam aggressively tore into a spinner ft. Ben White
Babar Azam, who was recently reinstated as Pakistan's T20I skipper, produced a power-packed performance in the third T20I against Ireland in Dublin on Tuesday, May 14. He helped the Men in Green win the series 2-1 from being 0-1 down.
Riding on Babar and Mohammad Rizwan's 139-run partnership for the second wicket, the visiting side chased down 179 runs in 17 overs with six wickets in hand. Earlier in the day, Shaheen Afridi starred with the ball, returning with 3/14 in four overs. With the 2024 T20 World Cup approaching thick and fast, this series win will boost Pakistan's and Babar's confidence.
Babar, in particular, was merciless against the Irish spinners, taking them for plenty. The right-handed batter smashed Ben White for 25 runs in an over, hitting the bowlers to all parts of the ground.
On that note, let's take a look at three instances when Babar Azam aggressively tore into a spinner.
#1 Ben White - Ireland vs Pakistan, 2024
Chasing 179 runs, Pakistan lost Saim Ayub in the third over. However, the Men in Green's most reliable pair, Babar and Rizwan, stitched together a crucial partnership. The Pakistan skipper, in particular, was the most aggressive of the two, hitting bowlers to all parts of the park.
Babar smashed leg-spinner Ben White for four towering sixes to collect 25 runs from the 14th over. He smashed sixes off the first three balls before getting beaten in the fourth delivery. The right-handed batter smashed another six off the fourth delivery before taking a single off the final to cap off the over.
#2 Ish Sodhi - Pakistan vs New Zealand, 2023
Babar Azam has a special liking for leg spinners and it was on display against New Zealand in a rain-marred game during the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Chasing a mammoth total of 402 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Men in Green fired on all cylinders from the word go despite losing Ashfaque Shafique in the second over. Fakhar Zaman and Babar tore into New Zealand bowlers, scoring runs for fun.
The Pakistan skipper cut loose against Ish Sodhi, hitting him for two boundaries and a six in a space of few deliveries to help his side post 200/1 in 25.3 overs before rain came pouring down.
There was no further play possible that night and the Asian giants won the match by 21 runs via the DLS method.
#3 Moeen Ali - Pakistan vs England, 2022
Subcontinent wickets are known to aid spinners given their slow nature. English spinner Moeen Ali enjoys a decent record in Asia across all formats. However, he was taken to the cleaners by Babar Azam in a game versus Pakistan in 2022.
The right-handed batter smashed Ali for two sixes in a space of three balls to take the attack to the opposition. The shift in momentum helped the hosts chase down 200 runs with three balls to spare and 10 wickets in hand. Babar remained unbeaten on 110, while Rizwan smashed 88* off 51 balls.