‘Tuktuk player bananeki saazish hai Zimbabar ki’ – Fans react to Babar Azam gifting his bat to Rahmanullah Gurbaz for steering Afghanistan to historic win

With a heartwarming gesture, Pakistan captain Babar Azam proved that the spirit of cricket is alive and well. Babar presented his bat to Rahmanullah Gurbaz after Pakistan’s maiden ODI loss to Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Gurbaz’s opening partnership with Ibrahim Zadran was crucial to Afghanistan’s historic 8-wicket win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The young Afghan opener provided yet another solid start for his team, scoring 65 runs off just 53 balls. Chasing 283, an innings that included nine boundaries and a six piled the pressure on the Pakistan bowling attack right from the start. He added 130 runs with Zadran, laying a strong foundation to chase down a competitive target on a tough Chepauk pitch.

Babar did not hesitate to acknowledge Gurbaz’s talent, despite his team’s humiliating defeat, straight three losses in the tournament. The current World No. 1 ODI batter gifted his ‘weapon’ in a wonderful gesture that won the hearts of cricket fans.

Watch the video below: 

Gurbaz has been in good form so far in the tournament. The right-hander is currently 11th in the list of leading run scorers with 224 runs at an average of 44.80 and a strike rate of 101.36. His 65 against Pakistan was his second half-century of the tournament.

We were not up to the mark: Babar Azam 

After the dismissals of both the openers, Rahmat Shah and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi steadied the ship and crossed the finish line with an over to spare. Despite posting a decent total on the board Pakistan bowlers failed to cause any trouble to the Afghanistan batters.

“We had a good total, but in bowling, we were not up to the mark because we weren’t taking wickets in middle overs. In a World Cup, if you’re not good even in one department, you lose. All credit to Afghanistan. We are not playing good cricket, especially in bowling and fielding. The pitch was helping the spinners even in the second innings. There was no pressure on their batsmen,” Babar said after the match.

Here’s how fans reacted to Babar Azam giving bat to Rahmanullah Gurbaz:

https://twitter.com/Muhamma25237574/status/1716652203338043574

https://twitter.com/TarunKu05716700/status/1716694353761177864

https://twitter.com/ramila_d/status/1716703713761669190

https://twitter.com/AshwaDimbo/status/1716675188396613934