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Babar Azam- (Source:@ScreenGrab)
On Wednesday, February 19, Pakistan and New Zealand locked horns in the first match of Champions Trophy 2025 at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi. The hosts got off to the worst possible start as they suffered a 60-run defeat.
Notably, New Zealand, batting first, put 320 runs on the board, courtesy of Tom Latham and Will Young's centuries. Further, Pakistan were handed an uphill task, and eyes were on Babar Azam to seal the win and emerge as a match-winner.
Babar smashed a fifty and was his side's second-leading run-getter. However, he was at the centre of criticism and received a lot of flak from fans and cricket pundits for not showing intent. Notably, Babar smashed 64 (90) and played at a strike rate of just 71 when the required run rate was above 10 per over.
Babar Azam Grooves To Dhol Beats
Amid the criticism and online trolling, a video has surfaced online showing Babar Azam enjoying the Karachi atmosphere. In the viral clip, Babar can be seen enjoying the dhol beats and also grooved to the vibe that got the crowd going. Further, Babar also asked the crowd to raise the noise. Watch the video here.
Babar Azam Accused Of Putting Himself Ahead Of Nation
It is worth noting that Babar's form has been a point of concern as his last ODI century came in August 2023 against Nepal. Since then, he has scored several fifty-plus scores but failed to convert them into big scores.
Further, the cricket pundits, including Cheteshwar Pujara and Wasim Akram, accused Babar of playing for himself and not putting the team's interest ahead of his performance.
 "Abhinav Tyagi")
