Pakistan skipper Babar Azam failed to get going in the first ODI match against Afghanistan in Hambantota on Tuesday. The right-handed batter was exposed against the pinpoint accuracy of Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The off-spinner trapped Babar in front of the wickets as Pakistan had a torrid start in the opening encounter.
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Babar was scalped for Duck by Mujeeb on his third delivery
As mentioned above, Mujeeb trapped Babar in front of the wickets on his third delivery. The Pakistani skipper could not repeat his recent antics during the Lanka Premier League where he was scoring runs for fun. However, Babar seemed to be struggling on a sluggish track in Hambantota.
To note, Pakistan are set to play some of their World Cup 2023 matches on turning tracks in Chennai and Hyderabad which might be a worrying sign for Babar. On the other hand, the Men in Green will take on arch-rivals India in Ahmedabad. The hosts will definitely want to scalp Babar early with pace but the option of bringing the leg spin of Kuldeep Yadav against him might not be a bad option.
Speaking about Babar’s numbers against leg-spin, he does not have good numbers in the 50-over format. Babar has fallen prey to them nine times in 47 innings. Kuldeep’s delivery to Babar during the 2019 WC has already proved that the leg-spinner has the caliber to bamboozle one of the best batters in the world.
Meanwhile, the Men in Green will play their opening clash of the Asia Cup 2023 against Nepal on August 30 (Wednesday). After that, Babar and Co will take on India at the Pallekele International Stadium on September 3 (Saturday). The wicket at the venue tends to assist the spinners during the middle-phase of the match and the Men in Blue will want to trap the Pakistani skipper through their tweakers.
