Babar Azam's painfully slow innings in Pakistan's Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand ignited a firestorm of criticism, with fans and pundits alike questioning his approach.
Chasing a challenging 321, Pakistan needed a fast start, but Babar's laborious half-century (off 81 balls) crippled their chase, drawing ire from fans who questioned his intent.
'Babar's journey to 50 coupled with Salman Ali Agha's batting has to be the best depiction of The Tortoise and Rabbit story,' Ravichandran Ashwin, the retired Indian spinner, noted.
Pakistan's powerplay yielded a mere 22 runs, and the early loss of Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan compounded the pressure.
The required run rate steadily climbed, making the chase increasingly difficult.
While Babar rotated the strike, he struggled to accelerate, reaching his fifty at a glacial pace.
'Half the Pakistan inning is done! Just can't seem to understand Babar Azam's approach. Perhaps ICC rankings on mind?' one irate fan asked.
'New Zealand are bowling tidily, but Pakistan aren't even trying to put them under any pressure. Fakhar, who could barely move, had more intent than Babar Azam does,' another fan complained.
While Salman Ali Agha's quickfire 42 (off 28 balls) briefly reignited Pakistan's hopes, his dismissal in the 31st over extinguished the spark.
Babar eventually reached his fifty after 81 balls, and briefly showed intent to attack with 14 runs off 8 balls, including a six.
However, his innings ended with a top-edged shot off Mitchell Santner, as he departed for a laborious 64 off 90 deliveries.
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