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Follow UsPakistan's Babar Azam is currently fighting with his batting, particularly in Test cricket. His last noteworthy score was 161 against New Zealand in December 2022, but he hasn’t reached a triple-digit score since then. In the ongoing first Test against England, Babar's struggles continued as he recorded scores of 30 and 5 in both innings.
He failed to take superiority of a pitch described by fans and experts as a "batting paradise" or "highway road." As a result, some fans have started calling him "Zimbabar" or "Zimbu," suggesting he only performs against fragile teams, and this nickname seems to have seized on in the Pakistan team dressing room.
A viral video recently surfaced on social media, showing pacer Shaheen Afridi using the expression "Zimbu" multiple times. Although the video lacked audio, fans speculated that Shaheen might have been ridiculing his teammate. Shaheen was removed from the captainship ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024, with Babar reassuming the role, though Babar has since stepped down again. No substitute has been named yet.
Meanwhile, Pakistan is facing another likely Test loss, with England taking a firm grip on the series opener in Multan. With a significant 267-run lead after the first innings, England triggered a collapse, leaving Pakistan at 152-6. By the end of the day, Pakistan still needed 115 runs to avoid an innings defeat on Friday's final day.