Pakistan captain Babar Azam was labeled “shameless” by cricket fans on social media after he failed with the bat against Sri Lanka in the crucial Super-4 match of the Asia Cup on Thursday.
Some even called him a “piece of shit”, considering his not-so-impressive figures against major international teams.
Moreover, another section of cricket admirers welcomed Babar Azam by renaming him “Zimbu”, a kind of a dig at him for scoring a bunch of his runs against low-ranked sides like Zimbabwe.
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Babar Azam's mockery on Twitter, now renamed X, came after the premier Pakistan batter fell for a low score of 29 against the Dasun Shanaka-led side in Colombo.
Incidentally, Babar Azam's knock of 29 against Sri Lanka made him the highest run-scorer in the tournament. The Pakistan skipper has made 207 runs in four innings in the Asia Cup, with 151 being his highest score against Nepal.
However, the 28-year-old batter has failed in three consecutive matches in the Asia Cup after his scintillating century against Nepal.
His three successive below-par performances against quality sides like India and Sri Lanka resulted in his mockery on social media, with several fans making fun of the Pakistan cricketer on X.
The supporters of Virat Kohli, with whom Babar Azam has often seen comparisons of his stats, were particularly harsh in their criticism of the Pakistan skipper, given that the former scored a hundred against the latter's team recently.
In contrast to Babar Azam, Virat Kohli made history in the Super-4 clash of the Asia Cup against Pakistan, becoming the quickest to complete 13,000 runs in One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
With an unbeaten knock of 122 runs in 94 deliveries against Babar Azam and his men, Virat Kohli shattered his idol Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record of being the fastest to reach 13,000 runs in the 50-over format.
While Sachin Tendulkar needed 321 essays to touch the 13,000-run milestone, Virat Kohli required only 267 innings to accomplish the landmark.
But this was not the only accomplishment the 34-year-old premier India batter attained during his knock against Pakistan.
Remarkably, this was Virat Kohli's 47th ODI hundred, leaving him just two behind Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49.
Also, his century against the Green Army was his fourth successive ton at the R Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka, making him the second man to do so at a single venue in international cricket.
Before him, former South African batter Hashim Amla achieved a similar feat at SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion.
Though Virat Kohli may have an edge over Babar Azam in terms of fifties and centuries against stronger sides, former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden rated the Pakistan batter above the Indian superstar at present.
Interestingly, Matthew Hayden reckoned that Babar Azam is slightly better than Virat Kohli in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), a format the Indian talisman has dominated for nearly 15 years.
Virat Kohli is the chase master in the 50-over format, having scored the maximum tons in successful chases, and he's almost all set to become the first man to score 50 centuries in ODIs.
“Babar Azam is a champion. He comes back from these things time and time again because that's what champions do. When you think about the statistical comparison at the same stage, Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam, Babar Azam is actually leading that shoot-out match,” Matthew Hayden said on Star Sports.
“So that's how significant he is to the Pakistani team lineup and I am sure that he can do it in this shoot-out against Sri Lanka. Babar is central not only because he is the captain but he is absolutely central in terms of the talent of that batting unit,” he added.
“We all understand that Pakistan cricket over the years and particularly this side is very top-heavy and Babar carries the weight of that always. So when his performances aren't quite on song, it matters,” Matthew Hayden explained.
Matthew Hayden may have put him ahead of Virat Kohli, but Babar Azam received more hate after Pakistan was knocked out of the Asia Cup by Sri Lanka.
After Babar Azam perished for 29, Pakistan somehow managed to put a healthy total on the board, thanks to Mohammad Rizwan's unbeaten 86 off 73 deliveries.
Mohammad Rizwan's knock was impressive because it came at a time when the Green Army looked completely out of sorts, struggling at 5/130.
In the end, Pakistan finished with a competitive score of 252/7 in 42 overs.
In response, Sri Lanka looked in complete control of the proceedings throughout their run chase until drama unfolded in the final over of their innings.
Powered by Kusal Mendis' 91 off 87 balls, Sri Lanka motored along nicely and required only 12 runs off the last two overs.
In the penultimate over delivered by Shaheen Shah Afridi, the momentum swung suddenly in Pakistan's favor after he took two wickets and gave just four runs.
The equation came down to six runs off two balls in the final over. But Charith Asalanka kept his cool to smash a boundary on the fifth ball before completing victory with a triple on the last ball of the contest.