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In the midst of the Bangladesh Premier League encounter featuring Rangpur Riders and Durdanto Dhaka, Babar Azam, the batsman for Riders and former Pakistan captain, displayed a moment of frustration on the field. A heated exchange unfolded between Babar and Irfan Sukkur, the wicket-keeper for Dhaka, as Sukkur attempted to engage in on-field banter. This incident transpired in the 13th over of the opening innings.

In the 13th over of the match, Durdanto Dhaka’s bowler Arafat Sunny secured the dismissal of Rangpur Riders’ batsman Nurul Hasan on the third delivery, having scored 26 runs off 24 balls. During the subsequent break, Dhaka’s wicket-keeper Irfan Sukkur directed sledging remarks towards Babar Azam. Uncharacteristically, Babar, renowned for his composed demeanor on the international cricket stage, found himself unable to maintain his usual calm. In an unusual turn of events, he became visibly furious and engaged in a heated verbal altercation with the opposition fielder.

Babar Azam fight – involved in a verbal altercation in the Bangladesh Premier League

Despite the efforts of the umpires and an opposing fielder attempting to pacify Babar Azam, his on-field spat did not impact his performance. Azam showcased a remarkable innings, scoring 62 runs from 46 balls, featuring five fours and one six. The Rangpur Riders posted a challenging first-innings total of 183/8, setting a formidable target for Durdanto Dhaka. The Riders faced an early setback when Brandon King, their opening batsman, fell for 20 runs, dismissed by Dhaka bowler Taskin Ahmed. Rony Talukdar contributed 11 runs from 7 balls before heading back to the dressing room.

Captain Nurul Hasan initially partnered with Babar Azam to add 50 runs for the 3rd wicket. Following Nurul’s departure, Babar collaborated with Azmatullah Omarzai to put up a 39-run stand for the 5th wicket off 21 balls. After Babar’s dismissal, Omarzai continued the momentum, partnering with Shamin Hossain to contribute 35 runs from 14 balls. Omarzai played a brief but impactful innings, scoring 32 runs from 15 balls.

The Rangpur Riders are eager to secure a victory, aiming for their second win in the tournament. Currently positioned at fifth place with one win from two games, they trail just behind Durdanto Dhaka, who hold the fourth spot.

The year 2023 proved to be challenging for Babar Azam, both as a batsman and a captain. Babar faced difficulties in scoring runs for Pakistan in international cricket, falling short of his potential. Struggling particularly against formidable teams like India, Australia, and England, he found success in scoring centuries primarily against lower-ranked teams such as Nepal. Babar Azam’s inconsistent performance with the bat raised concerns for Pakistan in international cricket. The team’s disappointing performance in the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup, including losses against lower-ranked teams, prompted Babar to step down from captaincy in all three formats after the CWC 2023 debacle.

Despite these challenges, there were noticeable improvements in Babar Azam’s performance, although he struggled to convert his promising starts into centuries.