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.
Pakistan got off to a strong start, scoring 205 runs on a poor Eden Gardens pitch. Openers Abdullah Shafiq (68 off 69) and Fakhar Zaman (81 off 74) hit shots in a 128-run stand, hitting the target as quickly as possible and increasing their net run rate. Ta.
Shafiq was dismissed on the first ball of the 22nd over, leaving Babar in a difficult situation. The Pakistan captain was often criticized for playing slowly and the onus was on him to maintain the pace of the innings. Babar got off to his usual poor start, with a strike rate of 77.69, the lowest of any Pakistan batsman in the tournament.
Babar, who has a strike rate of 9 (14), finally decided to break free from Mehdi Hasan Milas on the penultimate ball of the 26th over. He tried to play a shot that floated all over the ground, forcing long-on fielder Mahmudullah to hit the ball. This ended his poor performance with 9 (16) as Pakistan still needed 45 points to win.
Pakistan then finished the chase with 7 wickets in 32.3 overs to win the third match of the World Cup.
Watch Babar Azam depart after his struggling stay at the crease
To bet on the World Cup with our Match Centre Partners bet365 head here.
