Babar Azam leaves Shahid Afridi behind in shameful Pakistan list after scoring duck vs ZIM

Babar Azam achieved unwanted feat [Source: AFP Photo]

Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe in the first T20I of the tri-nation tournament, and despite the victory, the Men in Green had quite a few chinks in their armour, and one of them was their batting performances. The middle-order rescued the team from a precarious situation as the top-order surrendered in front of the Zimbabwe bowlers.

Babar Azam, the star batter who scored a century against Sri Lanka in the ODIs, failed to deliver the goods in the first T20I and was dismissed for a 3-ball duck. He was already under pressure to score runs in the tri-nation series, but the right-handed batter couldn’t do much as he was trapped lbw.

Babar surpasses Shahid Afridi in unwanted duck record

This was his third duck in his last six T20I innings, and in the process, Babar created an unwanted record and surpassed Shahid Afridi in an unfortunate T20I feat. Saim Ayub, the Pakistan opener, currently tops this unwanted list.

• Saim Ayub has 10 ducks in the T20Is, and Babar has now equalled Umar Akmal, as both players have 9 ducks.

Babar's T20I career under jeopardy

A duck in the first T20I hasn’t helped Babar Azam’s cause as his career hangs in jeopardy in the game’s shortest format. This was his third duck in the last six innings, as pressure mounts on the former captain to deliver the goods.

Before the Asia Cup 2025 event, the star batter was also dropped from the T20I squad as the management sent him an indirect warning to improve his numbers in the format. However, just after one marquee event, Babar was reinstated in the T20I setup, but the pressure continues to pile on as other batters are knocking on the doors and Babar needs to deliver to stay in contention for a place in the T20I World Cup squad.

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Babar Azam struggles against Zimbabwe; registers third duck in last six T20Is

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