"Give me Zimbabwe or Nepal or I'll retire" - Fans roast Babar Azam for scoring 23 off 52 balls in AUS vs PAK 3rd Test
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam failed once again with the bat in their ongoing Test series against Australia. He was dismissed for 23 off 52 balls in the third innings of the third Test being held at Sydney (Friday, January 5).
He made a slow but steady start to his innings, which included a solitary boundary. His dismissal came in the 21st over when part-time spinner Travis Head delivered a flighted delivery.
Azam attempted to play his favorite cover-drive shot but the ball instead took an outside edge and wicket-keeper Alex Carey completed a simple catch to dismiss the Pakistani batter.
Azam will now end the three-match Test series without a single half-century. His scores in the series read: 21 and 14, 1 and 41, & 26 and 23.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) roasted Babar Azam for another horror show with the bat in Australia. One user wrote:
"Give me freedom, Give me fire, Give me Zimbabwe or Nepal or I'll retire."
Here are some more reactions:
Azam's dismissal left Pakistan 60/4 after 20.1 overs
Pakistan suffers middle order collapse ft. Babar Azam
Pakistan suffered a middle-order collapse following Babar Azam and Saim Ayub’s dismissals in the third innings.
The visitors were reduced to 68/7 after 26 overs at stumps on Day 3. They now hold an 82-run lead, with Mohammed Rizwan and Aamer Jamal at the crease. Josh Hazlewood starred with the ball, bagging four wickets for Australia.
Batting first, Pakistan put up 313 in 77.1 overs in the first innings. Mohammed Rizwan and Aamer Jamal starred with the bat. Rizwan smashed 88 runs off 103 balls, hitting two sixes and 10 boundaries.
Jamal hit 82 off 97 deliveries in an excellent rear-guard action. His innings comprised four sixes and nine boundaries. Agha Salman also scored a half-century as well to propel Pakistan to 313.
Australia captain Pat Cummins led from the front, finishing with figures of 5/61, while Mitchell Starc bagged two wickets in the first innings.
In response, the hosts posted 299 in 109.4 overs. Marnus Labuschagne top scored with 60 off 147 balls, including six boundaries. Mitchell Marsh also added 54 off 113 deliveries, with the help of six boundaries.
Aamer Jamal starred with the ball for Pakistan, returning with figures of 6/69, while Agha Salman scalped two wickets.
Follow the AUS vs PAK 3rd Test live score and updates here.