Pakistan captain Babar Azam has found himself at the center of social media criticism after his unbeaten 58 could not prevent an embarrassing 90-run defeat to West Indies in the first Test at Tarouba, with fans questioning his strike rotation as the tail collapsed around him.
Pakistan were bowled out for 120 in 40.2 overs while chasing 211 on the fourth day, handing West Indies a 1-0 series lead. Jayden Seales finished with 5 for 20, while Kemar Roach and Justin Greaves shared four wickets between them.
Babar remained unbeaten on 58 off 81 balls, hitting nine fours, and adding a defiant 49-run last-wicket stand with Mohammad Abbas, who made 23. The pair added six more runs after tea before Seales trapped Abbas lbw to end the innings.
Social media users, however, focused less on Babar’s resistance and more on how he managed the strike during the closing overs. Mohammad Ali was dismissed after taking a single off the first ball of his over, Khurram Shahzad suffered the same fate, and Mohammad Abbas ran out of partners after Babar hit a boundary off the last ball of an over instead of retaining strike.
The perceived pattern triggered a wave of criticism from fans on social media.
One user wrote, “50 mukammal, ab out hone ka time” [50 complete, now it’s time to get out].
Another added, “Yeh pehli ball par hi strike kyun de raha hai?” [Why is he giving away the strike on the very first ball?]
One person asked, “Babar pehli ball par single le kar tail expose kyun kar raha hai?” [Why is Babar taking a single on the first ball and exposing the tail?]
Another remarked, “Kya baat hai, over ki pehli ball par hi tail-ender ko strike de diya” [What a move, giving the tail-ender the strike right on the first ball of the over]
One comment went further, calling him out directly: “Selfish player hai, 50 ke chakar mein hai” [He’s a selfish player, chasing his fifty]
Not everyone piled on, though. Some fans defended the captain, pointing out that Pakistan’s top order had already failed well before Babar was left to fight alone.
One observer countered, “Woh akela kya kare” [What could he do alone?]
Another added, “Baaki 10 kya karne aaye hain team mein” [What were the other 10 in the team there to do?]
The numbers back the defense to an extent. Of Pakistan’s top six batters, only Mohammad Rizwan reached double figures, managing 11 before he was bowled by Greaves. Imam-ul-Haq made 5, Azan Awais scored 3, and Salman Ali Agha was trapped lbw by Seales without scoring, leaving Pakistan reeling at 21 for 2 inside five overs and soon 25 for 3.
Babar and Rizwan steadied things briefly with a 21-run stand after lunch, but Greaves triggered a fresh collapse, dismissing Rizwan, trapping Aamer Jamal lbw for a duck, and watching Roach remove Ali Usman for two as Pakistan slumped from 45 for 3 to 53 for 6.
Shan Masood, batting at number seven after a finger injury in the first innings, added only 3 before Seales removed him too. It was only the last-wicket stand between Babar and Abbas that gave Pakistan’s total any respectability, with the pair adding 49 before Seales returned to end the innings.
Earlier in the match, Pakistan had fought back with the ball. Mohammad Abbas claimed his seventh five-wicket haul in Test cricket, finishing with figures of 5 for 22 in 15.5 overs to bowl out West Indies for 181 in their second innings.
