Babar Azam Equals Shahid Afridi’s Unwanted T20I Record of Most Ducks

Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam has matched a rather unwanted record held by former skipper Shahid Afridi, after being dismissed for a golden duck in the opening T20I against South Africa.

Facing just two balls, Babar was caught by Corbin Bosch in the final over of the powerplay, leaving fans stunned. With this dismissal, he has now recorded eight ducks in T20 Internationals — the joint-highest by a Pakistani player, alongside Afridi.

This puts Babar in third place among Pakistanis with the most T20I ducks, sharing the spot with Umar Akmal, Saim Ayub, and Kamran Akmal.

The match itself proved tough for Pakistan. Chasing a daunting 195-run target, the team collapsed for 139 runs in 18.1 overs, conceding a 55-run defeat to the Proteas.

South Africa’s Corbin Bosch starred with the ball, claiming four wickets, while Reeza Hendricks anchored the innings with a brilliant 60 off 40 balls.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Nawaz impressed with 3 for 26, while Saim Ayub (37) and Nawaz (36) were the only notable contributors with the bat — though their efforts fell short against South Africa’s disciplined bowling.