‘Chinese Kohli missed his century by only 59 runs’ – Fans react as Babar Azam gets dismissed for 41 runs in second innings at MCG

Josh Hazlewood bowled a terrific delivery to dismiss Babar Azam in the second innings of the Boxing Day Test match. The star batter managed to score only 41 runs in 79 balls in his stay in the middle. The tall bowler impacted the game in the second Test at the MCG with a peach of a delivery to get the prized wicket of the main batter of the opposition on the tour.

Babar batted well in the second innings along with Shan Masood. Till he was dismissed, the right-hander looked like he was set for a big one. But it was not to be. 2023 has been one such year where luck was not on his side. He ended the year without a 50+ score to his name, which is a bit bizarre considering the standards he has set for himself.

Babar could not have played the delivery of Hazlewood any better. The Australian pacer who is known for his consistency in bowling in the same good length area continued his process and frustrated the batters. It was one such delivery where Josh bowled right at the good length and forced the batter to defend it. But this time around, there was a twist in the tale.

Deja vu of first innings dismissal

There was some movement off the surface. The right-arm pacer got the ball to nip back into the star batter. The ball touched the thigh of Babar and then hit the stumps. It was a delightful wicket for the home side and no wonder why the bowler was pumped up. Australia sensed the victory just a little away from the grasp as they got a step closer towards a win.

The dismissal of Babar in the innings was very similar to the way he got out in the first innings. It shows the planning done by the pacer of Australia against the star batter. In the first innings, Cummins bowled in a similar length and got the ball to nip back into the right-hander. A similar delivery from Josh got the wicket of Babar in the second innings. The bat-pad gap of Azam has been exposed.

Here’s how the fans reacted to the dismissal: