‘*Yawwnnn* Zzzzz’ – Former Pakistan seamer lambasts Babar Azam after his slow knock in 2nd ODI against New Zealand

Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam scored a half-century but was not able to take his team over the line in the second ODI against New Zealand at the National Stadium, Karachi on Wednesday. The Men in Green had a target of 262 runs, but the Pakistan skipper scored an underwhelming 79 runs off 114 balls before the hosts eventually got bundled out for 182 runs to lose the match by 79 runs.

Babar’s slow knock was appreciated by his fans on social media but the former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar lashed out at him for his yawn-inducing innings. Akhtar posted a two-word Tweet which went viral on social media in no time as the fans supported the 47-year-old and slammed Babar for playing a Test knock in an ODI match.

Babar Azam struggling to score quickfire knocks

Babar’s strike rate has been a talking point across all formats for a long time. He has struggled to score quick runs in the limited-overs format and that has cost Pakistan a lot of matches. Earlier, Pakistan’s new interim chief selected Shahid Afridi announced that he will not pick players who do not play with a strike rate of over 135 in the T20Is

Currently, the 28-year-old is leading Pakistan in all three formats and in T20Is, he has a strike rate of 127.55. Looking at his strike rate, many people thought that he would be getting dropped from the shortest format of cricket. The Pakistani player will need to put in some effort, reevaluate his approach to the game, and find ways to score runs quickly, or else he will face criticism every time he steps onto the field.

During the second game, it was the New Zealand batter Devon Conway, who was the pick of the batters with a splendid 101 off 92 balls. He was also given the Player of the Match. The series decider between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played on Friday, January 13, 2023, at the National Stadium, Karachi, where both teams will look to seize the series on their side.