Twitter reacts to Fawad Alam's dismissal on Test comeback after 11 years

Pakistan batsman Fawad Alam waited for more than 11 years to return to international cricket. But when he did, his innings barely lasted 11 minutes. Fawad Alam scored a four-ball duck against England at Southampton on Day 1 of the second Test.

The southpaw who made it to the Pakistan playing XI after continuously piling up runs in domestic cricket, was trapped lbw by Chris Woakes. Though the umpire initially ruled in favour of the batsman, DRS confirmed that Woakes had sent the left-hander packing.

Equally bizarre was the fact that Fawad Alam was batting with a very open stance, and the wide gap between his legs allowed Chris Woakes to attack his pads.

Fawad Alam;s dismissal meant that Pakistan were reeling at 120/5, before trudging along to 126/5 when played was halted due to inclement weather.

The 34-year-old Fawad Alam had replaced Shadab Khan in the playing XI. Courtesy his inclusion, he became the 25th cricketer to make a Test return after a gap of 10 years or more and the second Pakistan player after Younis Ahmed, who made a comeback after 17 years in 1987.

Twitter’s reaction to Fawad Alam scoring a duck

Fans on social media, who were praying for Alam’s inclusion in the XI, were left disappointed. While some opined that Fawad Alam should just stick to domestic cricket, others were confident that he would come back stronger in the second innings.

Irrespective of whether Fawad Alam scores runs in the second innings, the end to his 11-year-old wait has certainly brought cheer among fans.