Pakistan took on Zimbabwe in the opening match of the tri-series also featuring Sri Lanka on Tuesday, November 18, at the Rawalpindi Stadium. Fans packed the venue hoping to watch their favourite stars in action, especially Babar Azam, who had recently ended a long wait for a century.
Babar had rediscovered form in the ODI series against Sri Lanka, scoring his first hundred in 83 innings a moment his supporters had waited more than two years to witness. But their hopes of seeing another big knock were dashed quickly.
Babar Azam records third duck in last six T20I innings
The 31-year-old fell for a three-ball duck against Zimbabwe, continuing a worrying run in T20Is. Brad Evans trapped him LBW in the fifth over, and Babar walked back without scoring despite having an excellent career record against Zimbabwe.
While his ODI form has improved, Babar’s T20I struggles have resurfaced. Since returning to the format after the Asia Cup, he has scored just 79 runs in four innings. His recent numbers against Zimbabwe are even more concerning only six runs in his last four innings, including two ducks.
As for the match situation, Pakistan were in trouble at 34/3 after 6.3 overs while chasing 148, leaving the Men in Green with a steep task ahead.
