Dramatic moments unfolded as Babar Azam found himself in a heated exchange with a group of fans in a recent match of the ongoing PSL 2024 season.
Peshawar Zalmi’s skipper, Babar Azam, known for his composed demeanor, couldn’t contain his frustration during a recent match against Multan Sultans at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Despite securing a victory, Babar faced intense trolling from Multan fans, who mockingly chanted ‘Zimbabar’ – a term that surfaces on social media whenever he underperforms with the bat.
While Peshawar Zalmi set a competitive total of 179 runs, Multan Sultans fell short by just five runs in their chase. Naveen-ul-Haq’s composed play sealed the narrow win for Zalmi.
Babar Azam, hailed as the ‘King of Pakistan cricket’ by his fans, has a peculiar trend of excelling against teams like Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Nepal but struggles against stronger opponents in ICC tournaments. Despite consistent performances against top sides, he faces relentless trolling for his exceptional success against Zimbabwe, boasting an impressive average of 114.75 in ODIs against the African nation.
In response to the trolling, a video surfaced on social media, allegedly showing Babar visibly angered by the unpleasant crowd. The video, shared by a well-known Sri Lankan journalist on the platform X (formerly Twitter), has sparked debates among fans regarding its authenticity.
Babar Azam has showcased an outstanding performance in the current PSL season, amassing 171 runs at an impressive average of 57 and a strike rate of 143.69. The next challenge for him and the Zalmi team is against Lahore Qalandars in the upcoming 12th group-stage game on Sunday.
Peshawar Zalmi, led by Babar, clinched their first victory of the season after facing two back-to-back defeats. The fact that they achieved this triumph against the table-topping Multan Sultans is sure to boost their confidence. However, Babar’s batting pace remained sluggish, as he scored 31 runs off 26 balls. It took impressive performances from Haseebullah Khan, who notched up 37 runs in just 18 balls, Rovman Powell, who hammered 23 runs in 11 balls, and other teammates to propel the team to a total of 179.
