"Loving this intent merchant version of Babar"- Twitter reacts to Babar Azam's quickfire 19 in 4th PAK vs NZ T20I

Pakistan star Babar Azam scored a quickfire 19 off 11 deliveries before being dismissed off a sharp bouncer in the penultimate T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch.

Babar has been the lone shining light in Pakistan's series defeat, scoring half-centuries in all three outings. While the streak ended with Babar's dismissal today, his aggressive cameo helped the side recover from the early loss of a wicket.

Opener Saim Ayub continued to struggle at the top of the order and was dismissed in the second over to leave Pakistan at 5/1. Yet, Babar took no time to get into top gear and struck two boundaries and a maximum during his brief stay.

However, on the final ball of the powerplay, the champion batter mistimed a pull shot off a pacy 149 km/hr delivery from Adam Milne to deep mid-wicket. Babar was in woeful form coming into this series, scoring only 126 runs in six innings at an average of 21 in the three Tests against Australia.

Furthermore, discussions swirled around his demotion to No.3, breaking up the successful opening partnership with Mohammad Rizwan in T20Is. While the newly formed opening pair hasn't prospered yet, Babar has benefited massively from batting at No.3 in this series.

Despite missing out on a fourth consecutive half-century, most fans on Twitter praised Babar for his attacking intent and unselfish play. Here are some of the reactions:

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Pakistan staring down the barrel in the fourth T20I against New Zealand

Despite a breezy 51-run partnership between Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan are in trouble in the fourth T20I against New Zealand.

Following Babar's dismissal on the final ball of the powerplay, Fakhar Zaman struggled to get going, stalling their run-rate further. His tame dismissal, followed immediately by Sahibzada Farhan, sunk the Men in Green to 86/4 in 13 overs.

The bowlers let Pakistan down in the opening three games, conceding 226, 194, and 224. Yet, in their first opportunity to bat first in the series, only wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has showcased the will to fight by scoring his 26th T20I half-century.

The Asian side have lost their previous seven international matches, dating back to the final game of the ODI World Cup against England last year.

As things stand, they are battling away at 112/4 in 15 overs, with Rizwan going strong at 74* off 52. He has power-hitter Iftikhar Ahmed for company on a run-a-ball five.