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'Give me flat pitch give me fire' - Fans troll Babar Azam after his 3-ball duck against Afghanistan in 1st ODI

Babar Azam was brutally trolled by fans after the Pakistan captain was dismissed for a duck in the first ODI against Afghanistan.

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Daniel S
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PAK vs AFG 1st ODI

PAK vs AFG 1st ODI (Source: Twitter)

Pakistan captain Babar Azam got off to a disastrous start to the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan as he was dismissed for a 3-ball duck in the first match on Tuesday, August 22. Babar's cheap dismissal left Pakistan in dire straits as they lost a couple of more wickets early in the innings. The series is billed as the final stage of preparations for the 2023 Asia Cup, but the Men in Green did not get the start they wanted in Hambantota.

Pakistan, who won the toss and opted to bat first, suffered an early blow when Afghan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed Fakhar Zaman in the very first over. Keeping Babar's struggles against spinners in mind, Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi brought Mujeeb Ur Rahman into the attack early on. The decision paid off as Mujeeb dismissed the rival captain on the last ball of the second over.

The right-handed batter missed a delivery that was fired in and spun sharply back in from outside off, resulting in the ball hitting his pads. The on-field umpire didn't waste much time raising his finger to declare LBW, but Babar had a chat with non-striker Imam-ul-Haq and decided to go for a review. However, replays confirmed that the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps and Babar took a review with him to the pavilion.

Afghan spinners tear apart Pakistan's batting line-up

Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq then tried to form a partnership, but Mujeeb made another breakthrough by removing the former in the eighth over, leaving Pakistan in more trouble. With Rashid Khan also joining the party (dismissed Agha Salman in the 17th over), Afghanistan are currently in the driver's seat with the scoreboard reading 99-4 after 25 overs.

Meanwhile, ahead of the series opener Babar had said that Pakistan is considering the Afghanistan series as an important preparation for the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup. He also mentioned that their opponent is strong and they have some amazing bowlers. “We are focused in our preparations as we have big events in the Asia Cup and the World Cup coming up. The Afghanistan team is on the rise and they have some good bowlers,” the 29-year-old told PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) Digital.

Here's how fans reacted to Babar Azam's dismissal in the first ODI against Afghanistan:

pakistan Babar Azam Afghanistan