• Home
  • Entertainment
  • 6 4 4 Babar Azam Carnage Stuns Shoaib Akhtar In Iconic Flood Relief Face Off

6, 4, 4! Babar Azam Carnage Stuns Shoaib Akhtar In Iconic Flood Relief Face-Off

Debashis Sarangi

Babar Azam dominated Shoaib Akhtar [Source: Screengrab/ZalmiTV YouTube]Babar Azam dominated Shoaib Akhtar [Source: Screengrab/ZalmiTV YouTube]

Peshawar Zalmi's friendly encounter against Pakistan Legends' XI witnessed Babar Azam's batting masterclass at Imran Khan Stadium in Peshawar. Opening the batting for the Zalmi, Babar Azam ensured a great start for his side, dominating legendary bowlers, including Shoaib Akhtar. 

Babar Azam Dominates Shoaib Akhtar With Flurry Of Boundaries

After Waqar Younis bowled a tight first over, Babar Azam decided to shift gears in the subsequent set of deliveries by Shoaib Akhtar. Fondly called the 'Rawalpindi Express', Akhtar tried to trouble Babar with his body-line deliveries. However, the fast bowler, who has lost significant pace due to frequent knee injuries, seemed lacklustre against the in-form batter. 

His reduced pace and wayward lines made it comparatively easy for Babar to put his balls comfortably into the fence. After hitting him for a massive six, Babar smashed Akhtar for two boundaries, helping Peshawar collect crucial runs off his over. 

Akhtar was quite expensive in his spell, conceding truckloads of runs against the in-form Peshawar openers. On the other hand, Babar looked sublime in the powerplay, scoring at a brisk pace with a flurry of boundaries. 

Despite getting a great start to his innings, Babar missed his half-century by a narrow margin. He was dismissed by former spinner Saeed Ajmal, who sent his stumps for a cartwheel in his very first over. 

Babar Azam Won't Play Asia Cup 2025

Although Babar Azam has been a legend for Pakistan, scoring the most runs for them in T20I cricket, his inconsistency and scoring rate woes led to his exclusion from the shortest format, with Pakistan replacing him with PSL 2025 sensation Sahibzada Farhan. As a result, Babar won't feature in the upcoming Asia Cup; however, the doors are still open for his T20I comeback as he can change his fortunes by fine-tuning his skills in the upcoming matches.