Watch: Babar Azam fell cheaply while trying to up the ante to boost Pakistan’s net run rate in Pakistan’s World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh on October 31.
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Pakistan were off to a solid start while chasing 205 runs on a seaming Eden Gardens pitch. Openers Abdullah Shafique (68 off 69) and Fakhar Zaman (81 off 74) played their strokes in a 128-run stand to gun down the target as quickly as possible in a quest to boost their net run-rate.
Shafique’s dismissal from the first ball of the 22nd over brought Babar to the crease. Often criticised for playing slowly, the onus was on the Pakistan captain to maintain the tempo of the innings. With a strike-rate of 77.69, the lowest among Pakistan’s batters in the tournament, Babar started in his usual languid fashion.
Batting on 9 (14), Babar finally decided to break the shackles against Mehidy Hasan Miraz during the penultimate ball of the 26th over. He tried to pump a floated delivery on a full length down the ground, holing out to long-on fielder Mahmudullah. As a result, his scratchy 9 (16) came to an end with Pakistan still requiring 45 runs to win.
Later, Pakistan wrapped up the run-chase by seven wickets in 32.3 overs to win their third match of the World Cup.
Watch Babar Azam depart after his struggling stay at the crease
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