"I repeat, never ever doubt Babar Azam once the series is over"- Twitterati hails Babar Azam for his career-best ODI knock

Pakistan skipper and World No. 1 ODI batsman Babar Azam has made a roaring comeback into form after two dismal outings in previous games. In the last ODI of the series against England, Babar Azam notched up his career-best ODI score of 158(in 139 balls) to silence his detractors and shepherd his team towards a massive first innings total of 331/9.

The Pakistan skipper's purple patch at Edgbaston continued as he now averages a whopping 286 at the venue in ODI matches. It proved to be the perfect setting for him to rediscover his form before the commencement of the T20I series.

Earlier in the day, England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to field first on a good batting track. Saqib Mahmood, who is having a great series with the ball, stuck early and dismissed Fakhar Zaman cheaply for just six runs.

Babar Azam then arrived at the crease and joined hands with Imam-ul-Haq(56) to steady the innings after the early blow. He took his time to settle in and was watchful while facing Saqib Mahmood as the English bowler in both games of this series so far.

Leg-spinner Parkinson provided a second breakthrough for his team in the 26th over when he castled out Imam-ul-Haq with a beautifully flighted incoming delivery. Mohammad Rizwan(74 in 58 balls) then played an aggressive knock and took the pressure of Babar Azam. Rizwan's support at the other end helped the Pakistan skipper build his innings at his own pace.

The duo strung together a massive 179-run partnership in just 120 balls to completely change the course of the game and tilt the odds in Pakistan's favor. Due to their efforts, Pakistan put on a substantial target of 332 in front of the English team.

Twitter reactions after Babar Azam's career-best ODI knock

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Balakrishna has been a cricket writer at Sportskeeda for almost seven years. A sport that he has been following and playing since he was eight, Balakrishna enjoys the intensity of the sport, skills and strategies applied to get a result out of nowhere, and the thrill that it gives. He also played as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in four inter-college tournaments, winning twice.

Balakrishna’s all-time favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. He admires Sachin’s stellar performances against legendary bowlers, along with his discipline and humility. Meanwhile, he is a big fan of how Rohit turned around his initial struggles to build a successful career.

He avidly supports Team India and 2016 IPL winners SunRisers Hyderabad. The first World Cup that Balakrishna ever saw was the 2003 World Cup, when Australia comprehensively triumphed over India in the final.

While working, he ensures he only uses reliable sources and provides relevant, ethical, and accurate information. When not working, Balakrishna enjoys playing table tennis and reading non-fiction books.

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