Even though Babar Azam failed to record a big score for the fifth consecutive innings in the ongoing Test series against Australia, the talisman Pakistan batsman entertained the fans by lacing three beautiful covers drives to fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
It has not been a Test series to remember for Babar Azam as he couldn’t raise a half-century in 5 consecutive innings. The right-hander had scored 77 runs in the first couple of Tests.
As it was in the second innings of the MCG Test, where he scored 41 attractive runs, Babar got off to a delightful start at the SCG as well, creaming four boundaries before getting lbw by Pat Cummins for 26 runs.
Babar got the SCG crowd vowing at him as he laced three gorgeous cover drive boundaries to Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
The cover drives of Babar Azam are amongst the most aesthetically pleasing stuff in modern-day cricket. His good technique, a little shuffle of the bat, and then the superb body balance while lacing the stroke. He showed it all on three occasions when Hazlewood and Starc pitched up outside the off-stump as he leaned into those drives.
Even the cricket.com.au Twitter handle that uploaded the video enjoyed those cover drives thoroughly as it captioned the video: “Feast your eyes on some gorgeous Babar Azam cover drives”
Watch: Babar Azam cracks three beautiful cover drives to Hazlewood and Starc in 3rd Test
Feast your eyes on some gorgeous Babar Azam cover drives 😍 #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/ItHGKsS4J5
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 3, 2024
Pat Cummins dismissed Babar for the third time in this series. After Babar looked settled and comfortable against Hazlewood and Starc, Cummins returned to topple the Pakistani talisman batter.
Cummins first set Babar up by bowling plenty of deliveries outside the off-stump in the channel with length and back-of-length balls, keeping him in check and not taking a boundary. Cummins then hurled a big inswinger that pitched outside the off-stum, continued to come into Babar, and hit him low on the pads.
While the on-field umpire gave the batter not out, Cummins took the DRS and got the decision overturned to out.
Cummins took another five-for – his third in three consecutive innings – as Pakistan are on the verge of being bowled out.
Also Read: Watch: Jasprit Bumrah Imitated Ravichandran Ashwin In The Nets
