Pakistan's white-ball captain Babar Azam was in his element in the domestic Champions One-Day Cup on Friday, coming up with a match-winning knock for the Stallions.
The 29-year-old has had a host of criticism come his way for his recent struggles with the national team. Babar had a flop show in the recent Test series against Bangladesh at home. The Pakistani talisman failed to deliver with his blade, scoring just 64 runs in four innings as Bangladesh whitewashed Pakistan 2-0.
However, he will take solace from the fact that he has found some form, albeit in the domestic circuit.
Pakistan regulars like Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abdullah Shafique, and Mohammad Ali, alongside Babar, were in action on Friday. The Champions One-Day Cup, a 50-over format tournament, saw Stallions beat Lions by a comprehensive margin of 133 runs on Friday.
Stallions scored 336/5 in their 50 overs, while Lions were bundled up for 203 in under 40 overs. Even the likes of Shan Masood (41) and Haris Rauf (3/43) contributed towards the win.
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How did Babar Azam perform against Lions?
Babar hit a 79-ball 76, representing Stallions in the One-Day Cup. The Pakistan skipper was the top-scorer for his team, hitting nine boundaries in his knock. He was eventually dismissed by Shaheen Afridi, but not before making his mark.
| Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | 79 | 96.20 | 9 | 0 |
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How did Shaheen Afridi perform against Stallions?
Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan's premier pacer, failed to fire for the Lions against Stallions on Friday. Shaheen did pick up two wickets, but conceded 63 runs in his 10-over spell. He ended with figures of 2/63 in his ten overs, proving expensive as Lions suffered a humungous defeat on Friday.
The 24-year-old picked up the wickets of Babar and oppositon skipper Mohammad Harris.
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However, the damage was all done until the wickets came for Shaheen & Co.
| Overs | Runs conceded | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.0 | 63 | 2 | 6.30 |
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