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Babar Azam's aggressive half-century in the warm-up match of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 against Australia on Tuesday (October 3) drew mixed reactions from fans.
Australia won the toss and opted to bat first in the contest at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Shadab Khan led the Pakistan side as Babar Azam received rest for the game. Azam fulfilled the duties of the substitute by serving drinks to his teammates.
Australia scored a daunting total of 351/7 in 50 overs on a batting paradise. Pakistan then got off to a poor start and slipped to 83/4 in the steep chase. Babar Azam entered the crease at this juncture and played a counter-attacking knock in company with Iftikhar Ahmed (83).
Babar scored 90 (59) and retired to give chances to the other batters in the practice match. Pakistan eventually lost the match by 14 runs. Babar Azam's knock incited divided views from fans on social media.
A section of them were excited about his knock and praised him. Few others pointed out that Australia bowled with part-timers like Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and David Warner when Azam came on to bat.
Here are some of the top reactions on the matter:
Pakistan captain Babar Azam set to participate in his second ODI World Cup
Babar Azam began his World Cup journey in 2019 and went on to score 474 runs in the tournament across 8 games at an average of 67.71, including three half-centuries and a century. He will be eager to perform even better in the upcoming World Cup.
Here is Pakistan's complete schedule for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023:
Match 2: October 6 - Pakistan vs Netherlands, Hyderabad, 2.00 pm IST
Match 8: October 10 - Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Hyderabad, 2.00 pm IST
Match 12: October 14 - India vs Pakistan, Ahmedabad, 2.00 pm IST
Match 18: October 20 - Australia vs Pakistan, Bengaluru, 2.00 pm IST
Match 22: October 23 - Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Chennai, 2.00 pm IST
Match 26: October 27 - Pakistan vs South Africa, Chennai, 2.00 pm IST
Match 31: October 31 - Pakistan vs Bangladesh, Kolkata, 2.00 pm IST
Match 35: November 4 - New Zealand vs Pakistan, Bengaluru,10.30 am IST
Match 44: November 11 - England vs Pakistan, Kolkata, 2.00 pm IST
Pakistan's 15-man squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc) Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Hasan Ali.
Traveling reserves: Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan, Mohammad Haris.
Do you think Pakistan can win the World Cup? Let us know your views in the comments section.
