Pakistan Check captain Babar Azam was concerned in a weird incident throughout a President’s Trophy Grade-I fixture in Islamabad. The 31-year-old batter snatched a spectator’s telephone and threw it away during the match between Oil and Gasoline Improvement Company Limited (OGDCL) and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
The incident occurred at the Diamond Cricket Floor on Wednesday, September 30. Babar had already attracted giant crowds since returning to first-class cricket after nearly seven years. The star batter was dismissed for 21 off 39 balls on the opening day of the fourth-round fixture in Islamabad.
Babar Azam Reacts After Fans Breach Security
Several spectators approached Babar Azam whereas he was fielding. One fan entered the playing space for a selfie, and Babar pushed him away and gestured for him to depart.
Another spectator then approached the Pakistan batter with a cell phone. Babar took the telephone from him and threw it onto the outfield before gesturing for the fans to move away. The repeated breaches reportedly pissed off the batter and likewise raised issues about participant safety at the venue.
After his dismissal, Babar was surrounded by a big group of spectators whereas strolling again to the pavilion, with a number of fans making an attempt to take pictures and selfies. Floor staff ultimately intervened and escorted him away from the crowd.
The incident divided opinions on social media. Some fans criticized Babar’s reaction and felt he ought to have dealt with the scenario in another way, whereas others pointed to the security breach and repeated attempts to method him during the match.
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The spectator concerned within the telephone incident later stated on social media that the episode had left him dissatisfied after ready for hours to get a selfie with Babar. Islamabad Police subsequently increased safety arrangements at the ground to control the crowd and stop further breaches.
Babar Azam’s Poor Form Continues After Home Return
Babar Azam’s latest batting failure added to the scrutiny round his return to domestic cricket. The fitting-hander scored 21 off 39 balls, hitting 4 boundaries, before spinner Afaq Afridi trapped him lbw. He had obtained an early reprieve when a catch was dropped at 12.
In his earlier President’s Trophy look towards Khan Analysis Laboratories, he scored only 12 and four within the two innings. He has managed simply 37 runs across his first three innings for OGDCL.
He has not scored a Check century since December 2022, when he made 161 towards New Zealand in Karachi. For the reason that start of 2023, Babar has averaged 30.43 in Check cricket and has scored only eight half-centuries in his last 39 innings.
His first-class return was anticipated to help him regain confidence and rhythm in red-ball cricket. The fourth-round fixture may be his ultimate look within the President’s Trophy.
President’s Trophy Spherical-Up: Azan Awais, Khurram Shahzad Shine
OGDCL had been bowled out for 196 in 50 overs after Babar Azam’s dismissal, with Saad Khan top-scoring with 38. Niaz Khan added 28, and Mohammad Hammad Khan made 26, whereas SBP pacer Shahid Aziz returned impressive figures of 4/31. Off-spinner Mubasir Khan also claimed 3/24.
SBP reached 94/3 by stumps, leaving them 102 runs behind with seven wickets remaining. Hasan Raza was unbeaten on 52, whereas captain Ghazi Ghori was 30 not out.
Elsewhere, Sui Northern Gasoline Pipelines Limited reached 277/3 towards Pakistan Tv in Peshawar after recovering from 98/3.
Azan Awais remained unbeaten on 130 off 249 balls for his 12th first-class century and shared an unbroken 179-run <a href="https://cricket.worldwide/windies-ride-matthews-campbelle-partnership-to-series-win-over-zimbabwe/” title=”Windies journey Matthews, Campbelle partnership to sequence win over Zimbabwe”>partnership with Omair Bin Yousuf, who was 82 not out. Mohammad Shahzad took three wickets for PTV.
Supply: cricketaddictor.com
