A capacity crowd at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad got what it so desperately wanted: flowing strokes off the bat of Babar Azam. Normally, home supporters would’ve quietened at seeing Fakhar Zaman cleaned up early on in a small chase – potentially a harbinger of things to come; perhaps an all too familiar collapse in the offing. But here on Saturday night, there were loud roars with chants of “Babar” echoing across the venue with Pakistan’s batting superstar set to come next. Babar didn’t disappoint, dispatching the South African bowlers with his trademark elan, and alongside Saim Ayub set Pakistan on their way to a rousing seven-wicket victory that sealed the...
