"Babar Azam just cannot read spin from the hand" - Twitter reacts as Ish Sodhi bamboozles Pakistan skipper with a googly on Day 5 

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was undone by a googly from Ish Sodhi on Day 5 of the first Test against New Zealand on Friday, December 30. The ace batter was trapped in front by a long hop and to make matters worse, he wasted a review before departing for 14 runs.

The Men in Green finished Day 4 on 77-2 after the Kiwis amassed a mammoth 174-run lead on the back of Kane Williamson's double hundred. Despite the pitch not showcasing any particular red flags to bat on, Pakistan were on the back foot heading into the final day as they had a lot to lose.

Off-spinner Michael Bracewell struck early to remove nightwatchman Nauman Ali as Babar came to the crease. The skipper began cautiously, scoring only two runs off his first 14 deliveries. He then brought some rhythm into his innings with two boundaries off Michael Bracewell.

Williamson proceeded to introduce Sodhi into the attack in the 40th over of the innings. The leg-spinner struck off the very first ball of his spell to claim Babar's prized scalp. Although the right-handed batter read the short-pitched googly while attempting to play the pull shot, he was just a touch late and the fact that it kept a bit low did not help his cause.

Fans lambasted Babar for his poor showing, losing his wicket at a crucial juncture of play. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:

Pakistan revived by Sarfaraz's blitz after Babar Azam's departure

Former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, returning to the fold after a significant while, was promoted over the in-form Saud Shakeel following the fall of the fourth wicket. The wicketkeeper-batter was active in looking for options to score and stamped his intentions with consecutive boundaries off Tim Southee.

At the time of writing, the hosts have crept up to 131-4 on the back of Sarfaraz's ongoing bright innings, with Imam-ul-Haq maintaining his stoic approach at the other end.

Pakistan now trail New Zealand's first-innings lead by 43 runs, with a minimum of 75 overs still to be bowled on the final day of the contest.

How should the Pakistan skipper counter his woes against spin? Let us know what you think.

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