Babar Azam breaks Shahid Afridi’s ‘most ducks’ record

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam has surpassed former captain Shahid Afridi in an unwanted T20 International record.

During the first match of the tri-nation T20 series against Zimbabwe at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, Babar Azam was dismissed for a duck — a moment that pushed him past Afridi on the list of most zeroes in T20Is for Pakistan.

Babar fell without scoring for the ninth time in his T20I career, overtaking Afridi’s tally.

In Pakistan’s list of most T20I ducks, Saim Ayub and Umar Akmal jointly hold the top spot with 10 ducks each.

After his latest dismissal, Babar Azam has now moved into second place, leaving Afridi behind.

Earlier, Babar Azam was fined for a minor breach of the ICC Code of Conduct following the third One-Day International against Sri Lanka.

The hosts wrapped up the series with a 3-0 clean sweep after defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday. A disciplined bowling performance by Pakistan and a patient batting effort helped secure the win in a tense chase.

The 31-year-old batter was fined 10 per cent of his match fee for a Level 1 offence, which can carry a penalty ranging from an official reprimand to 50 percent of a player’s fee, along with one or two demerit points. This marks the first demerit point added to Babar’s disciplinary record in the past 24 months.