Babar Azam Equals Afridi’s T20I Duck Record

Babar Azam returned to Pakistan’s T20I side after a year but could not make an impact in Rawalpindi. He was dismissed for a duck in the first match against South Africa. This dismissal moved him level with former captain Shahid Afridi for the most ducks by a Pakistani batter in T20Is. Umar Akmal still holds the top spot with ten ducks, followed by Saim Ayub with nine. Other players on the list include Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez with seven ducks each.

Batting first, South Africa set a strong target of 194-9 in 20 overs at Rawalpindi. Reeza Hendricks led the way with 60 runs from 40 balls, supported by Tony de Zorzi and Quinton de Kock. Mohammad Nawaz was Pakistan’s best bowler, taking three crucial wickets. His effort slowed the scoring in the middle overs, but Pakistan could not stop South Africa from posting a challenging total.

Pakistan’s reply started well but soon fell apart as wickets tumbled regularly. Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan gave a 31-run start, but the momentum faded. Babar Azam fell early, and the middle and lower order failed to recover. Only Saim Ayub provided resistance, scoring 37 runs from 28 balls. The team was bowled out for 139 in 18.1 overs, losing the match by 55 runs.

South Africa’s bowlers dominated the game and secured a convincing win. Corbin Bosch led the attack with four wickets, while George Linde contributed three. Their disciplined bowling exploited Pakistan’s fragile batting lineup. The visitors applied constant pressure, especially after the early breakthroughs. This performance gave South Africa a strong start in the three-match series.

With this win, South Africa leads the T20I series 1-0. The second match is set for October 31 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Pakistan will aim to bounce back and strengthen their batting. South Africa, on the other hand, will look to continue their dominance. Fans can expect another exciting clash in the series opener’s follow-up match.

Read More : Babar Azam breaks another record

With this achievement, Babar has joined South Africa’s Hashim Amla in the record for the fastest player to score 6,000 runs, having accomplished the feat in just 123 innings. Additionally, Babar has become the fastest Asian player to reach this landmark, surpassing India’s Virat Kohli, who took 136 innings to achieve the same.