Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam recorded an unwanted milestone in the second ODI against the West Indies, falling for a three-ball duck. The dismissal in Trinidad marks the 20th time the world-class player has been out for zero in international cricket, a worrying statistic for a batter of his caliber.
The 29-year-old came to the crease in the ninth over with Pakistan at 37 for one. Facing West Indies pacer Jayden Seales, he attempted to drive a full delivery that moved in late. The ball beat his inside edge and crashed into the stumps. Pakistan were left 37 for two.
According to ESPNcricinfo, this was Babar’s first ODI duck against West Indies and his fifth overall in the 50-over format. He has now played 133 ODIs, batting in 130 innings.
Yeah, Babar gets out for a duck sometimes—he’s got eight in Tests and seven in T20s. But come on, who’s even counting those when you look at the big picture? The guy is still one of the most consistent scorers Pakistan has ever produced. We’re talking almost 15,000 international runs at an average over 46, which is just insane. And he’s not just making small scores; he has 31 tons and over a hundred fifties to his name. The man’s a machine.
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Ducks are rare for players of his calibre, but they happen. The number 20 might feel high, yet considering the volume of innings he has played, it’s not unusual. Even top batters have games where timing is off, or a bowler finds the perfect delivery.
Pakistan will hope their captain can recover quickly in the remaining matches of the series. For now, Seales’ delivery will be remembered as the one that brought up a statistical milestone Babar would rather forget.
