Babar Azam, Pakistan’s top batsman, was bowled for 29 in Tuesday’s opening ODI against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, prolonging his wait for an international century. The elegant right-hander has now gone 83 innings without a century, matching Virat Kohli’s record for the longest such drought in international cricket. He last struck a century against Nepal in the 2023 Asia Cup.
Charith Asalanka’s team chose to bowl first in the series opener, which was Sri Lanka’s first bilateral ODI in Pakistan since 2019. One change from their previous ODI was made by Pakistan, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who replaced the ailing Abrar Ahmed with Naseem Shah. The hosts wanted to get off to a fast start, but Pakistan’s top order did not play out quite as planned. Pressure was placed on the middle order by opener Saim Ayub’s early departure to Asitha Fernando. In an attempt to play an anchor role and settle the innings, Babar then joined Fakhar Zaman at the crease.
Babar Azam is eliminated by Wanindu Hasaranga using Google
Maheesh Theekshana’s right-handed batter opened the scoring with two boundaries, including a drive over cover and a cut past backward point. Babar and Fakhar stabilised Pakistan’s batting following the early defeat with a 54-run partnership for the second wicket.
However, it proved difficult to score runs after the Sri Lankan spinners entered the game. As Wanindu Hasaranga and Theekshana bowled at tight lines, the batter’s strike rate decreased. Babar faced Hasaranga’s well-disguised googly, which came in from outside off, on 29 from 51 balls. In order to protect, the Pakistani batter leaned forward, creating a tiny space between the bat and the pad. The ball clipped the top of the off-stump after spinning and slipping through.
Babar Azam vs Pakistan
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The dismissal demonstrated Babar’s continued inability to turn starts into significant scores, a trend that has persisted for the past two years in all forms. This inning marked the official 800-day mark in his drought. Agha Salman’s undefeated 105 and Hussain Talat’s 62 helped Pakistan reach 299/5 despite losing their skipper. On a solid batting surface, the lower order gave Pakistan the final push they needed to get close to 300.
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