NEW DELHI: Babar Azam's return to T20Is was a forgettable one, as the former Pakistan captain was dismissed for a duck against South Africa in the first T20I in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. In the process, Babar went on to equal Shahid Afridi in the list of most T20I ducks by a Pakistan player.

Babar, making his first T20 appearance since December 2024 against South Africa, endured a brief stay at the crease - facing just two deliveries before chipping a simple catch to Reeza Hendricks off Corbin Bosch in the covers during the powerplay.

Pakistan brought Babar back at No. 3 for the series, resting Fakhar Zaman to allow the left-hander to prepare for next month's ODI series against the Proteas.

Babar was cheered loudly by the capacity crowd as he walked out to bat, needing nine runs to break Rohit Sharma's all-time record of 4,231 runs in T20 internationals. But there was pin-drop silence in the stands as Babar couldn't clear Hendricks in the covers and walked back.

Babar joins Afridi

It was the eighth time Babar has been dismissed without scoring in 122 T20I innings, matching Shahid Afridi's tally of eight ducks, though Afridi reached the mark in just 90 innings. Notably, India's Virat Kohli has seven ducks to his name in the format, meaning Babar has now moved ahead of him on the list.

Most ducks for Pakistan in T20I cricket

Umar Akmal - 10
Saim Ayub - 9
Babar Azam - 8
Shahid Afridi - 8
Kamran Akmal - 7
Mohammad Hafeez - 7
Faheem Ashraf - 6
Fakhar Zaman - 6
Imad Wasim - 6
Mohammad Nawaz - 6

SA record easy victory

Talking about the match, South Africa romped to a 55-run win over Pakistan in the opener of a three-match series. Pakistan couldn't recover from Corbin Bosch's twin strike before South Africa bowled out the home team for 139 to the disappointment of 16,000 home fans at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

South Africa had earlier made 194-9 after captain Donovan Ferreira lost the toss and was asked to bat first. Opening batter Reeza Hendricks scored 60 off 40 balls and George Linde added 36 off 22 balls.