‘Ghante ka King’ – Fans react as Babar Azam gets out after scoring 13 off 16 balls in 1st SL vs PAK Test

Sri Lanka and Pakistan are currently playing the first Test at Galle International Stadium. After deciding to bat first, winning the toss, Sri Lanka put up 312 riding on Dhananjaya de Silva’s 122 off 214. Earlier, Angelo Matthew’s half-century had set the tone for the Sri Lankan innings. For Pakistan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, and Abrar Ahmed scalped three wickets each. The remaining one went to Salman Ali Agha.

In reply, Pakistan did not enjoy a steady start. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals with Sarfaraz Ahmed being the fifth wicket to fall for Pakistan at the score of 101. The most surprising however was Babar Azam’s wicket. The star batter could not influence the game and departed for 13 off 16, falling prey to the spin of Prabath Jayasuriya. He edged a flighted delivery to give the wicketkeeper Samarawickrama an easy catch behind the stumps.

‘Really excited to be back in the red-ball format’ – Babar Azam

Notably, Babar Azam looked in great spirit ahead of the match. His ambition could be sensed in his words. “Really excited to be back in the red-ball format and all eyes are on the Galle Test as we are prepared and ready for the challenge. We are taking one step at a time, but we have to be consistent across all formats,” he stated.

“One of the positives going into the Galle Test is that 13 of our players were here 12 months ago. Abrar Ahmed has identified himself as a good option in our combination. I am sure this tour will be a good learning curve for him as we have high hopes from him in this and future series,” Babar added.

After Day 1, Babar was also quoted praising Shaheen Afridi for his dazzling display. “I am particularly pleased with the return of Shaheen Shah Afridi. Besides his wicket-taking abilities, his presence always motivates and lifts the side. I know Shaheen has badly missed red-ball cricket and is now hungry for Test cricket,” he said in a video on Cricket Pakistan Twitter.

Here’s how fans reacted:

https://twitter.com/IAmGrootX18/status/1680859688756469760