Pakistan and Bangladesh kickstarted the first Test of the two-match series in Rawalpindi on Wednesday morning. The away side chose to bowl first after winning the toss, getting off to the perfect start.
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The Bangladeshis reduced Pakistan to just 16 runs at the loss of three wickets, including the wicket of skipper Shan Masood and star batter Babar Azam. Both fell prey to pacer Shariful Islam with Babar getting dismissed for a duck after facing just a couple of balls.
It’s not the first time that Babar has lost his wicket at a duck, however, this dismissal is particularly noteworthy since it's the first time that the batter has been dismissed without adding a single run to his tally at home in Tests.
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How many times has Babar been dismissed for a duck in Tests?
Having played over 50 Test matches and an average of over 45, it’s safe to say the 29-year-old batter has had an illustrious Test career so far. With his dismissal against Bangladesh, Babar now has a total of eight ducks to his name in tests with all the seven previous ones being away from home soil.
Babar has a sumptuous record at home, with six centuries and seven half centuries to his name. The batter is one of the stalwarts of Pakistan's batting line-up in all formats, especially in Tests.
However, has been under severe criticism as of late after Pakistan’s debacle in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and the ODI World Cup 2023.
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | HS | SR | Ducks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 95 | 3898 | 45.55 | 196 | 54.86 | 8 |
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Babar Azam’s Test record in Pakistan
In the 14 games that Babar has played on home soil, he has averaged close to 68 with over six centuries and seven half-centuries to his name. Despite his below-par form as of late, he continues to be an important part of the Pakistani dressing room.
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | 50s | 100s | HS | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 24 | 1491 | 67.77 | 7 | 6 | 196 | 60.31 |
At the time of writing the article, Pakistan are 110/3 scoring at a healthy rate of 4 runs per over. Opener Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel have held the innings for the home side after having lost three wickets in quick succession.