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Cricket

'Petition to ban him batting in morning' - Fans slam Babar Azam for his poor knock in first Test vs New Zealand

Babar Azam, the Pakistani batter, failed to make an impact with the bat in the second innings vs New Zealand in first Test.

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'Petition to ban him batting in morning' - Fans slam Babar Azam for his poor knock in first Test vs New Zealand

'Petition to ban him batting in morning' - Fans slam Babar Azam for his poor knock in first Test vs New Zealand (Image Source: Twitter)

Pakistan and New Zealand faced off against each other in the first Test that kicked off on December 26, Monday and on Day 5, it was all about the Kiwi bowlers and Pakistani opener Imam-ul-Haq, who gave it his all to prevent the team from setting a meagre target and tried to force the match into a draw, although one has to agree that the pacers were on blistering form. 

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On the other hand, the Pakistani skipper Babar Azam, who scored a fighting 161 in the first innings, was bowled out for just 14 in the second and fans left no stone unturned to slam the right-handed batter for letting his team down. Sarfaraz Ahmed, the veteran wicketkeeper, made a vital contribution of 53 and rushed back to the pavilion on a crucial day. 

Kane Williamson's magic against Pakistan 

As far as the Black Caps’ first innings is concerned, it was all about Tom Latham and veteran Kane Williamson, with the latter scoring a mighty 200 to his name. Latham, on the other hand, scored a century to his name, helping New Zealand put on 612 runs on the board, taking a lead of 174 runs. 

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At Session 2 on Day 4, it remained to be seen if the Pakistani team would set a defendable total against a fiery Kiwi pace battery, as they were restricted to 206/7, on the back of a five-for from Ish Sodhi, taking a lead of 32 runs. With a session to go in the day, New Zealand would hope to chase the total and clinch the win to take an early lead in the series. Much to the delight of the fans, Sarfaraz turned out to be the consistent batter as he scored a valuable 86 in the first innings and a much-needed half-century in the second innings. 

“My heart was beating so fast and it was a similar feeling to that of making your debut as I was playing a Test match after a very long time and the match too was in crunch position at that moment. When we walked into the pavilion for the lunch break, boys who have played alongside me, noticed my nervousness and were trying to calm me down,” Sarfaraz was quoted as saying on his Test comeback. 

As things stand, let us take a look at a few Twitter reactions to Babar Azam’s knock in the second innings: 

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New Zealand Pakistan Babar Azam Twitter Reactions PAK VS NZ Pakistan vs New Zealand 2023