Babar Azam’s illegal on-field antics cost Pakistan 5 penalty runs

Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam is currently in the form of his form. In the second ODI of the ongoing ODI series against West Indies, Babar Azam smashed his sixth consecutive half-century in ODI cricket. His knock helped the team reach a competitive score of 275 runs on the board.

In reply, West Indies were bundled out for just 155 runs. A lot of Pakistan’s players exhibited notable performances during the game. Babar Azam also made headlines because of a couple of reasons. Apart from scoring a valuable half-century, he was also involved in a bizarre incident, which cost five penalty runs to his team.

The incident took place during the 29^th over of the innings when the Pakistan skipper picked up one of the wicket-keeping gloves to collect the ball. As per the laws in cricket, no other fielder except the wicket-keeper shall be allowed to wear gloves or external leg guards. Add to that, the protective guards can only be used after taking permission from the on-field umpires.

Babar Azam’s antics on the field weren’t satisfactory, and, as a result, five extra runs were awarded to West Indies Cricket Team.

As far as the game was concerned, Pakistan won the second ODI by a massive margin of 120 runs on the board. Pakistan batted first and managed to score 275 runs at the end of the first innings. Imam Ul Haq (72 off 72) and Babar Azam (77 off 93) starred with the bat. Pakistan then bundled West Indies out for just 155 runs. Shamarh Brooks top-scored for West Indies, amassing 42 runs in 56 balls. However, he lacked support from the other end.

As for Pakistan, Mohammad Nawaz returned with outstanding bowling figures of 4 for 19 in 10 overs. Besides, the likes of M Wasim Jr and Shabad Khan also claimed two wickets each. With that win, Pakistan have sealed the series 2-0 with one game left to be played. The third ODI is slated to be played on Sunday at Multan Cricket Stadium.