Pakistan’s cricket captain, Shan Masood, praised Babar Azam for his outstanding performance in the recent Test match against South Africa. This came after the team lost young player Saim Ayub, who suffered a fractured right ankle and had to be carried off the field during the second Test held in Newlands, Cape Town. Although Babar scored fifties in both innings, Pakistan still couldn’t claim victory.
Masood expressed his admiration for Babar’s determination, especially after Saim’s injury left the team at a disadvantage. “It’s unfortunate that Babar got out to a delivery he usually plays well. However, his decision to step up and score consecutive fifties when we lost Saim is commendable. It’s moments like these that really bring satisfaction as a captain. Many players on our team have shown strength when we needed it most,” Masood said during the post-match presentation.
### Babar Azam’s Stellar Performance
In the match, Babar scored 58 runs in the first innings and followed it up with an impressive 81 in the second innings. He opened the batting for the first time, forming a formidable partnership with Masood. Together, they created a record 205-run stand in the second innings after Pakistan was made to follow on, having originally stumbled to just 194 while chasing South Africa’s massive first innings score of 615 runs.
Despite their strong comeback, where Pakistan managed to score 478 runs in their second innings, South Africa needed only 57 runs to win, which they easily accomplished in just over seven overs.
Masood noted that while there were some positive aspects, the team needed to make the most of critical moments. “There were a lot of good things. We put in a strong effort in Centurion but failed to finish when it mattered. Credit goes to South Africa for that. Here, we didn’t start well with both bat and ball. We gave away too many runs initially and then struggled with the bat on what turned out to be quite a playable wicket. The fightback was encouraging — those are the strong responses we were looking for. Individually and as a team, we showed resilience at times. However, we need to learn how to seize the crucial moments in matches,” he added.
