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Pakistan captain and world number three T20I batter Babar Azam failed to attract any buyers at The Hundred Draft on Thursday. Even Mohammad Rizwan, Andre Russell, and Kieron Pollard went unsold in the draft.
Babar had a fruitful run in his debut season with the Peshawar Zalmi team in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (2023). He scored 522 runs in 11 games at an average of 52.20 to finish as the second-highest run-getter of the season, just behind Rizwan. He also led the Peshawar Zalmi side well. Eventual champions Lahore Qalandars ended their PSL 2023 campaign in the second Eliminator.
Considering Babar's recent form, many expected him to fetch a deal at The Hundred Draft. However, for the second consecutive year, he went unsold in The Hundred.
After learning about it, cricket fans trolled the Pakistan skipper by sharing hilarious memes on social media platforms. Here are some of the best memes:
"Yes, his strike rate in T20s is debatable, but he is making up for it and scoring big runs" - Shoaib Akhtar on Babar Azam
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar, meanwhile, put his weight behind Babar Azam and slammed the critics who are questioning Babar's approach in the T20 format. Although he agreed that the Pakistan captain's strike rate in the shortest format is not ideal, he defended him, stating that Babar more often than not made up for it by scoring big.
Speaking to Sports Tak, Akhtar said:
"The criticism on Babar Azam is really getting too much now. He was first a classical batter, then you told him to improve strike rate, he is working on it. Yes, his strike rate in T20s is debatable, but he is making up for it and scoring big runs. He has been among the top batters across formats, what more do you want?
"Babar is an asset for Pakistan and if he plays well for 10 years, he will come close to Virat Kohli's records. The criticism about him is absolutely nonsense."
Do you agree with Shoaib Akhtar's views above? Sound off in the comments section.
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