“Shame, shame, this was not a Test match” – Babar Azam mercilessly trolled as his 79 off 114 balls goes in vain in PAK vs NZ 2nd ODI

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was trolled mercilessly for his slow knock in the second ODI against New Zealand in Karachi on Wednesday, January 11. Chasing 262, Babar top scored with 79 off 114 balls at a strike rate of 69.30. His knock included eight boundaries and one maximum.

Coming in to bat at 6/1 in the third over, Babar stayed in the middle before getting stumped out by Tom Latham off Ish Sodhi's bowling as Pakistan lost their ninth wicket in the 43rd over.

The wickets continued to fall on the other end as the hosts were bundled out for 182 in 43 overs, losing the game by 79 runs.

Fans expressed their disappointment after witnessing Babar’s slow innings and questioned his intentions. Here are some of the best Twitter reactions:

Besides Babar Azam, the entire Pakistan batting unit had an off day in the business. Mohammed Rizwan and Agha Salman contributed 28 and 25, respectively.

Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi bagged two wickets each, while Lockie Ferguson, Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, and Glenn Phillips took one wicket apiece.

Earlier, New Zealand opener Devon Conway scored 101 runs off 92 balls, including 13 boundaries and a maximum to give his side a bright start. Meanwhile, captain Kane Williamson played a vital knock of 85 runs, including 10 fours. Mitchell Santner also contributed 37 runs to propel the team’s total to 261 in 49.5 overs.

Mohammed Nawaz starred for Pakistan, returning with figures of 4/38, while Naseem Shah bagged three wickets. Haris Rauf and Usama Mir took one wicket each.

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“Losing wickets puts pressure on you” – Babar Azam rues lack of partnership behind second ODI loss

Babar Azam feels that the lack of partnership after early wickets put Pakistan under pressure throughout the chase. The skipper added that he tried to take the game deep with Rizwan, but the visitors didn’t allow them to bounce back in the contest.

Speaking on the post-match show, he said:

“We didn't start well with the ball but came back nicely. Also, we lost a couple of wickets early with the bat and hence we were behind in the game."

He added:

"The plan between myself and Rizwan was to take the game deep but losing wickets puts pressure on you. The wicket had turn and bounce, it was difficult to take on the spinners and Salman did well to play his shots.”

With the ODI series tied 1-1, the two teams will lock horns in the series decider on Friday, January 13.