Babar Azam rectifies journalist who mistook Bangladesh as Sri Lanka during Rawalpindi Test

Ace Pakistan batsman Babar Azam hit a magnificent 143 in the first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi to help his country win the match by an innings and 44 runs. The match got over on the fourth day after the hosts skittled out the visitors for only 168 runs after securing a first-innings lead of 212 runs.

Pacer Naseem Shah’s hat-trick dashed Mominul Haque’s side’s plan to make Pakistan bat again. The next Test between the two nations will be played in April along with one ODI.

This win was Pakistan’s second in three Tests at home. Recently, they defeated Sri Lanka 1-0 in a two-match series by winning the second match in Karachi by 263 runs. This win also took them to the fourth position in the ICC World Test Championship with 140 points. Only India (360), Australia (296) and England (146) are ahead of them.

Babar, 25, met the press after the third day’s play concluded on Sunday and there, something funny happened. A Pakistani journalist who was covering the match asked Babar about the plan Pakistan had for the visitors. “What’s the plan? Will we be bowl out Sri Lanka early tomorrow?” asked the journalist who identified himself as Asad Ali Mubarak before throwing the question. Babar pointed out the mistake at once to say “Bangladesh”.

Same guy who mistook Dickwella for Dhananjaya de Silva pic.twitter.com/8NLO2eVzDQ

— Shahid Hashmi (@hashmi_shahid) February 9, 2020

It was the same journalist who had mistaken Niroshan Dickwella for something else during Lanka’s recent tour of Pakistan. He took Dickwella’s name as the batsman at the crease even if he was dismissed.

Bangladesh were annihilated on Day 3 by Naseem Shah’s hat-trick

Bangladesh ended the third day on 126 for 6, requiring another 87 runs to make Pakistan bat again. At 2 for 124, the visitors looked confident to bridge the huge lead that they conceded Pakistan in the first innings but Shah’s hat-trick devastated their batting line-up and in four overs, they lost four wickets for only two runs to be left reeling.

It took a little over 17 overs for Pakistan to knock over the remaining Bangladeshi wickets on Day 4 and script the decisive win. Skipper Mominul Haque was the top scorer for the Bangladesh side in the second innings with 41. Naseem, who took a Test hat-trick as the youngest bowler, was adjudged the Man of the Match with five wickets for 87 runs.

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