In Pakistan’s last match of the Cricket World Cup 2023, captain Babar Azam found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. The match, which was against England, began with England’s captain Jos Buttler winning the toss and choosing to bat first. In the 41st over of the England innings, Shaheen Afridi dismissed Ben Stokes on the first ball. As the Pakistan players gathered to congratulate the bowler, Babar appeared to try to push down Mohammad Rizwan’s hands as he was celebrating the wicket with his teammates.
A video of the incident was shared on social media, sparking various reactions. Some users questioned if Babar was truly unhappy, while others criticized his behavior, likening it to that of a gully cricket captain. Some even suggested that there was a conspiracy against Babar Azam.
The match ended with England securing a convincing 93-run win over Pakistan, effectively knocking them out of the World Cup. Ben Stokes scored 84 runs, and Joe Root contributed 60 runs to help England reach an impressive total of 337-9 in their 50 overs. In response, Pakistan could only manage 244 runs in 43.3 overs.
England captain Jos Buttler expressed his disappointment at his team’s failure to make it to the knockout round, saying, “It’s nice to put in a good performance. It probably sinks in more right now. There’s lots to reflect on.”
David Willey, who announced his retirement from international cricket after the World Cup, played a crucial role in the match. He dismissed Pakistan’s openers Abdullah Shafique and Fakhar Zaman early on and later took the wicket of Agha Salman, finishing with figures of 3-56. With Salman’s dismissal, Willey also reached the milestone of 100 wickets in his 73rd ODI.
Pakistan had entered the match needing to beat England by a margin of 287 runs to secure a spot in the semi-finals based on net run-rate. However, their hopes were dashed when England won the toss and elected to bat first. As a result, New Zealand became the fourth team to qualify for the semi-finals and will face undefeated India in Mumbai on November 15. Australia and South Africa will meet in the other semi-final in Kolkata a day later.
The article concludes with a mention of the source of the information, AFP.
