Pakistan captain Babar Azam exhibited his class after coming in to bat at No.6 in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup warm-up game against Australia.
The 28-year-old skipper's innings turned the game on its head, as Pakistan showcased their batting strength against a formidable Australian side.
He smacked a scintillating 90 runs off just 59 balls, marked by 11 fours and two sixes, completely altering the course of the match in a chase of 352.
However, what truly earned Azam the admiration of fans and cricket enthusiasts was his selfless act. Just 10 runs shy of a well-deserved century, Babar Azam chose to retire himself out, allowing Salman Ali Agha to take the crease alongside Mohammad Nawaz. This decision to prioritise team success over personal milestones was met with widespread appreciation from fans.
Babar Azam was supported brilliantly by Iftikhar Ahmed as the duo posted a 144-run stand for the fifth wicket. Iftilkhar played a knock of 83 which included six fours and four sixes.
Earlier, Australian batters showed no mercy to Pakistani pacers in their innings as they posted a colossal total of 351 runs in 50 overs.
Glenn Maxwell played a fine knock, scoring 77 off 71 with ten boundaries that went all over the ground, he was followed by Josh Inglis who helped the Aussies accelerate their innings in the last 10 overs and scored 48 off 30 with a handsome 160 strike rate.
For Pakistan, Mir took two while Haris Rauf, Wasim Jr., and Shadab Khan took one wicket each.
Despite a wicket to his name, Rauf had a game to forget as he conceded 97 runs in just nine overs.
It must be noted that Shadab Khan is leading Pakistan in the absence of Babar Azam, who may only play as a batter while Mohammad Haris replaced Mohammad Rizwan as the wicketkeeper.
Earlier, Australia won the toss and opted to bat first.
In their first warm-up match, despite posting a colossal total of 345 against New Zealand, Pakistan not only lost by five wickets but the Black Caps chased the target in just 43.4 overs courtesy of a subpar bowling display by the Green Shirts.
While Australia's warm-up match against the Netherlands was called off due to rain.
The ICC World Cup 2023 warm-up matches consist of 50 overs per side. However, these matches won't have ODI status because teams will have the flexibility to include all 15 members of their squad in the playing XI.
Squads:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc
- Babar Azam