RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam endured a forgettable start to the home T20I tri-series on Tuesday, breaking Shahid Afridi’s unwanted record after falling for a three-ball duck against Zimbabwe at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Babar, who recently struck a match-winning fifty in the T20I series decider against South Africa, failed to carry his momentum into the curtain raiser.
Brad Evans produced a sharp length delivery that nipped back and hit Babar on the back knee, sending him back without scoring.
The dismissal marked Babar’s ninth T20I duck, pushing him past former captain Shahid Afridi on Pakistan’s list of most ducks in the format.
The unenviable chart is jointly topped by Umar Akmal and Saim Ayub, each with 10 ducks.
Most Ducks for Pakistan in T20Is
Umar Akmal – 10 ducks in 84 matches
Saim Ayub – 10 ducks in 52* matches
Babar Azam – 9 ducks in 132* matches
Shahid Afridi – 8 ducks in 98 matches
Kamran Akmal – 7 ducks in 58 matches
Mohammad Hafeez – 7 ducks in 119 matches
Babar, who captained Pakistan in three ICC Men’s T20 World Cups, had been sidelined after the away series in South Africa last December and missed the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 as selectors looked to rebuild with young talent.
However, he earned a recall for the recent home series against South Africa, 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up, where he made a strong comeback by overtaking India’s Rohit Sharma to become the all-time leading run-scorer in T20Is.
