Video of Non-Striker Babar Azam Attempting to Halt Ball Struck by Teammate Goes Viral

Pakistan's Babar Azam has arrived in Australia for the Test series, aiming to overcome his disappointing performance in the Cricket World Cup 2023. Following his subpar showing in the white-ball tournament, Babar opted to step down from captaincy across all three formats, focusing solely on his batting. As he gears up for the Test series against Australia, Babar faced the Prime Minister's XI in a practice match where an amusing incident occurred. 

During the practice game against the Prime Minister's XI, bowled by Beau Webster, Shan Masood struck the ball down the ground. Babar Azam, positioned as the non-striker, attempted to collect the ball with his hands as it passed him, despite being out of reach. Cricket Australia playfully teased the former Pakistan captain, stating, "Babar Azam keeping himself in the game at the non-striker's end," and shared the video of the incident on social media.

Since the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023, significant changes have taken place in Pakistan cricket. The PCB appointed Wahab Riaz as the new chief selector and brought in several consultants in an effort to rejuvenate the cricketing landscape. The role of team director was assumed by former all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez.

Babar Azam, on the other hand, experienced a change in leadership roles. Shaheen Shah Afridi took over as Pakistan's T20I captain, while Shan Masood was appointed as the Test captain. The PCB has yet to finalize the captain for the ODI format. As Babar arrives in Australia for the Test series, his primary focus is on rediscovering his form with the bat, especially now that the burden of captaincy has been lifted from his shoulders.