Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi are undoubtedly two of the most talented players in Pakistan cricket currently. While one exudes class, the other is a menacing threat with the new ball. While they are going strong and have consistently contributed to Pakistan cricket, it is often that they go head-to-head as well.
Shaheen Afridi vs Babar Azam
A similar instance took place in the second game of the ongoing ODI Champions Cup in Faislabad. Afridi, captain of the Lions, dismissed Babar with a short delivery. Stallions’ number three batter hit that straight to deep square leg and was caught by Faisal Akram.
The Shaheen Afridi vs Babar Azam battle has been an intriguing one. In T20s, Babar has operated at a strike rate of almost 133 against Afridi. However, he has also got dismissed thrice! This was the fourth instance where Afridi sent Babar packing.
Babar form – Good news for Pakistan!
Although the Babar vs Shaheen battle was intriguing to witness, a major revelation from the second match of the ODI Champions Cup was the coming back of form of the star Pakistani batter.
Babar has had an awful 2024 thus far. In the three Tests this year, he has averaged less than 19! Across all formats, his average after 24 innings is 33.60 – his all-time lowest in a calendar year. Even in the recent Pakistan vs Bangladesh Tests, he was getting caught down the leg, was beaten by extra pace and even faltered while sweeping.
However, Babar’s batting on Friday came with a sigh of relief. The modern-day great batted exceedingly well, and top-scored for his team. Against the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Aamer Jamal and Aamer Yamin, he operated positively and made 76 off 79, a knock that included 9 boundaries. This led Stallions hammer 336/5 on the board before Haris Rauf’s three-fer restricted the Lions at just 203.
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