Pakistan batter Babar Azam recorded an unfortunate milestone during the opening match of the home T20I tri-series against Zimbabwe at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, moving past Shahid Afridi for the most ducks by a Pakistani in T20Is.
Babar, who recently guided Pakistan to a T20I series win over South Africa with a match-winning fifty, could not continue his good form and was dismissed for a three-ball duck.
Brad Evans beat him with a length ball that nipped back sharply and struck him on the back pad.
Visit Times of Karachi website for the latest news-related content daily
It was also Babar’s third duck in his last 6 T20I innings.
The 31-year-old has now registered his ninth duck in T20Is, going ahead of Afridi on Pakistan’s unwanted list.
The record is jointly held by Saim Ayub and Umar Akmal, both with 10 ducks.
Most ducks for Pakistan in T20Is
Saim Ayub – 10 ducks in 52* matches
Umar Akmal – 10 ducks in 84 matches
Babar Azam – 9 ducks in 132* matches
Shahid Afridi – 8 ducks in 98 matches
Kamran Akmal – 7 ducks in 58 matches
Mohammad Nawaz – 7 ducks in 82* matches
Babar, who captained Pakistan in three T20 World Cups, had been sidelined from the shortest format after the away series in South Africa last December.
Follow Pakistan vs Zimbabwe live
He also missed out on selection for the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 as Pakistan preferred younger players in preparation for next year’s T20 World Cup.
He was recalled for the recent home series against South Africa following Pakistan’s Asia Cup campaign.
During that assignment, he overtook India’s Rohit Sharma to become the leading run-scorer in T20I cricket, a major milestone despite his recent struggles.
In the match, while chasing 148, Fakhar Zaman and Usman Khan remained unbeaten, taking Pakistan to 78 for 4 at the end of 13 overs.
