Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam’s form woes continued as he was clean-bowled by a local bowler during a practice match ahead of the Champions Cup.
The dismissal occurred during a practice game between the Stallions and the Lions as Pakistan’s national and domestic cricketers gear up for the highly-anticipated tournament.
Facing left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar, Babar Azam went for a paddle sweep while exposing his wickets behind.
However, he missed the ball which went under the bat and shattered his stumps.
It is to be noted that the white-ball captain will represent Stallions led by young wicket-keeper Mohammad Haris in the upcoming Champions One-Day Cup.
Babar Azam has received severe criticism due to a dip in his form, however, the scrutiny further intensified after his dismal outing in the recently concluded two-match home Test series against Bangladesh.
The right-handed batter scored 64 runs in four innings of the two-match Test series, at an average of 16.
He was dismissed for a duck in the first inning of the opening PAK v BAN Test, while he departed after scoring 22 runs in the second inning.
In the second Test, he once again failed to convert a good start into a big inning as he was dismissed for 31 in the first inning. His second outing in the same game ended after an 11-run knock.
Babar Azam has been under the pump for a while now as he scored only 317 runs in eight Test games in 2023, with a best of 41 runs. His last ton in Test cricket came against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022.
Meanwhile, the Champions One-Day Cup will begin on September with Stallions kicking off their campaign against Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Lions on 13 September.
