Watch: 'Sleepy' Daryl Mitchell drops Babar Azam at 12 on Day 1 of first Test

Pakistan and New Zealand are facing off in the second Test that kicked off on December 26, Monday and it was the Pakistani skipper Babar Azam who stood up for the team on an epic day. A 196-run stand between Sarfaraz Ahmed and Babar saw the Pakistani team getting the better of the Kiwis, eventually finishing Day 1 at 317/5 with the skipper unbeaten at 161. 

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While there were many moments to take away from the game, Babar getting dropped when the talented batter was at 12 turned out to be the most hilarious moment of the day. To add more, it was Daryl Mitchell at the slips and before the delivery was bowled, Mitchell was spotted having a big yawn. 

With Michael Bracewell pulling off the best delivery of his spell, forcing Babar to edge it, Mitchell dropped the ball, which many felt was a sitter. Fans, who shared the video on the internet, claimed that the Kiwi star was too sleepy to be fielding at slips. 

Watch Daryl Mitchell’s catch-drop here: 

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Daryl Mitchell yawning in the first slip
before dropping a sitter on next ball😅#PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/xyDv1E8siu

— Sʜᴀʀɪϙ (@ShariqHussain_) December 26, 2022

Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed shine on Day 1

As things stand, while the likes of Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq made their way back to the dressing room for cheap scores of 7 and 24 respectively, it was Babar and Sarfaraz who ensured that the Pakistani team remained in the race. While the wicketkeeper contributed 86 runs to the scoreboard, Babar, on the other hand, remained unbeaten at 161 at stumps on Day 1. 

“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 after his Test comeback against the Black Caps after a wait of 4 years. 

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“Babar gave me a lot of confidence as a senior player and carried me with great determination as I also needed confidence at that time. I was sad but then I thought it would have been worse had I got out for a duck and I’m grateful. I used to ponder if I would ever play my 50th Test. When I got to know yesterday that I was going to play, it got me really excited,” he added.