A video clip showcasing Pakistan captain Babar Azam gifting a bat to Australian batsman Travis Head during the Pakistan tour has gone viral, leading to speculation that it was the same bat used by Head in his remarkable century against India in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval. Fans are buzzing with excitement over the heartwarming gesture between the two players.
In the match, Australia faced early setbacks with the dismissals of David Warner, Usman Khawaja, and Marnus Labuschagne, leaving them in a precarious position at 76 runs. However, Head joined forces with Steve Smith and together they forged an exceptional 285-run partnership, resurrecting the Australian innings.
#BabarAzam ne #TravisHead ko apna bat de kar#india ke against sazish krdi@wwasay @Rizzvi73#WTCFinal2023 #WTC23Final #WTC23 #Gill #ShubmanGill #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/QhzaHB2Sub
— Muhammad Shehroz 🇵🇰 (@Iam_Shehroz) June 8, 2023
Head’s innings was a display of aggression, as he smashed 25 boundaries and one maximum in his 174-ball knock of 163, at a strike rate of 93.67. Smith complemented him well with his 121 runs off 268 balls, featuring 19 boundaries. Smith’s century was his ninth against India, making him the second player with the most centuries between the two rival teams.
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Australia maintained control of the game, posting a formidable first innings total of 469 runs on Day 2. Mohammed Siraj stood out for India with a four-wicket haul, conceding 108 runs in his 28.3 overs at an economy rate of 3.78. Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Shami also contributed with two wickets each.
In the second innings, the Australian bowling attack continued to dominate, striking early blows that left India struggling. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virat Kohli all fell for low scores of 15, 13, 14, and 14 runs, respectively.
ALSO READ: Ravi Shastri Criticizes Pujara’s Poor Shot Selection in WTC Final
Ravindra Jadeja provided some resistance with a quickfire knock of 48 off 51 balls, including seven fours and a six, before being dismissed by Nathan Lyon. With five wickets down, India faces an uphill battle and will need a strong performance on Day 3 to get their campaign back on track in the WTC final.
Soon the information spread like fire on the internet, and there were plenty of reactions by the fans, as a few even credited Babar Azam for plotting a win for Australia against India.
babar be like humse na ho paya aap hi karlo!
— ANUJ THAKKUR (@ThakkurAnuj) June 9, 2023
Thank you Babar Azam 🥰#TravisHead #KingBabarAzam #WTCFinal pic.twitter.com/u4mXYqLVIp
— Abdullah Rind🏏 (@BabarAz42848868) June 8, 2023
Power of 🤴 Babar Azam’s hand which helped Kohli get back into form in Asia Cup 2022 and make Travis Head the successful batter icc test championship pic.twitter.com/WcoA5yWy8c
— Asjad S (@AsjadShahbaz786) June 8, 2023
