Chris Woakes claims his first wicket by dismissing Babar Azam LBW on Day 1 of the first Test in Multan.
New Delhi: England speedster Chris Woakes trapped Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam LBW to claim his first wicket on Day 1 of their first Test match on Monday, October 7, at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Pakistan.
The dismissal took place on the third delivery of the 85th over. Woakes pitched a full length delivery that nipped back just slightly, Babar with his initial movement missed his forward block, leading to the ball striking his pads.
The umpire did not waste any time and raised his finger, but the Pakistan batter chose to review the decision. However, the ball-tracking showed three reds, resulting in his wicket on a flat pitch.
Here are online some fan reactions on Babar’s wicket:
Highway 🛣️ pitch pe bhi Century ne kar Paaya Babar Azam
Gajab ka Bura Daur Jaari hai pic.twitter.com/EoAgwxbeXs— Sushil Shaun (@Myconfidence22) October 7, 2024
How can you throw your wickets to a soft dismissal?
Need a big 💯 in 2nd Innings. #BabarAzam pic.twitter.com/IItzxvExSL— Zee (@Zee92R) October 7, 2024
It’s been 651 days since Babar Azam’s last Test century. Here are his scores in that time:
— Shehzadi (@Shahzadi10s) October 7, 2024
Babar Azam in Tests since 2023:
24(41), 27(41), 13(16), 24(28), 39(75), 21(54), 14(37), 1(7), 41(79), 26(40), 23(52), 0(2), 22(50), 31(77), 11(18) & 30(71). pic.twitter.com/mOsKod6IAa
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 7, 2024
The right-handed batter managed 30 runs off 71 balls, including five boundaries, before his dismissal, leaving Pakistan at 324 for four after 84.3 overs. Babar has been struggling in Test cricket recently, scoring just 204 runs across five Tests in 2023 at an average of 22.66, without achieving any significant milestones.
In 2024, the former Pakistan skipper has accumulated only 143 runs in seven innings and has not achieved a single score of fifty or more in the last two years.