Pakistan’s middle-order batter Babar Azam continued his struggle with the bat during the second Test against Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.
Azam was cleaned up with a beauty by Josh Hazlewood in the second innings after scoring 41 runs.
During the first innings, Azam, 29, was dismissed by Pat Cummins after scoring just one run as the right-handed batter misjudged the ball and ended up getting bowled.
The 29-year-old is not having a great year, particularly in red-ball cricket as he has now gone nine innings without scoring a Test fifty in 2023.
It happened for the first time since his debut that Azam failed to bag a single half-century in a calendar year.
Babar Azam in Tests in 2023:
Innings: 9
Runs: 204
Average: 22.7
100s/50s: 0
Pakistan played a total of five Test matches this year, one of which is still underway. Their first red-ball encounter of this year was against New Zealand which ended up in a draw.
Azam was Pakistan’s skipper during that time and he managed to score 24 and 27 across two innings.
In July 2023, Pakistan travelled to Sri Lanka to play a two-match series which they won, but Azam continued to fail with the bat.
He scored 13 and 24 in the first Test, meanwhile, during the second Test, Pakistan only played one innings in which Babar contributed 39 runs.
During the current tour of Australia, Babar, once again, failed to deliver for his side as during the first Test, he amassed 21 and 14 runs.
- Babar Azam
