Fans claim Shaheen Afridi referred to Babar Azam as ‘Zimbu’ during PAK vs ENG 2024 1st Test in Multan; video goes viral
A viral video on social media indicates that Shaheen Afridi referred to Babar Azam as 'Zimbu' during the first Test between Pakistan and England in Multan. While the video has no audio, several cricket fans are convinced that the Pakistan left-arm pacer is calling Babar 'Zimbu'.
England hammered Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs in the first Test played in Multan. Batting first, the hosts put up 556 on the board as Abdullah Shafique, skipper Shan Masood, and Agha Salman hit centuries, while Saud Shakeel contributed 82.
The visitors, however, responded with a mammoth 823-7 declared as Harry Brook slammed 317 off 322 balls, while former captain Joe Root contributed 262 off 375. Ben Duckett (84) and Zak Crawley (78) also chipped in with fifties. In response, Pakistan were bundled out for 220 in 54.5 overs in their second innings.
Meanwhile, a video from the Test match has gone viral on social media in which Afridi is seen calling out to someone. On lip reading, it seems like the bowler is constantly saying 'Zimbu'. While many fans reckon that Afridi is using the said term, the same cannot be confirmed.
Watch video below
'Zimbu' is a term often used to troll Babar. As per his haters, he performs exceptionally well against lower-ranked sides like Zimbabwe but fails to produce results of the same level against bigger sides.
Babar Azam is going through an extremely lean phase with the willow in Test cricket
Pakistan's struggles in Test cricket lately have coincided with Babar's struggles. The 29-year-old is going through one of his worst phases with the willow and has come in for criticism from several former Pakistan players.
In eight Test innings in 2024, the right-handed batter has only managed 148 runs at an average of 18.50. He began the New Year with scores of 26 and 23 against Australia in Sydney. In the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, he registered scores of 0, 22, 31 and 11. Babar failed in the Multan Test against England as well. He was out for 30 in the first innings and five in the second.
In his overall Test career, the former Pakistan skipper has featured in 55 matches, scoring 3,997 runs at an average of 43.92, with nine hundreds and 26 fifties.