Twitterati hail Babar Azam as the Pakistan captain returns to form with a magical 158-run knock

Picture Credit: Twitter/@TheRealPCB

The 3rd ODI between Pakistan and England produced a great spectacle of cricket for the fans in the first innings. Most importantly, one of the most elegant-looking players in modern cricket - Babar Azam - returned to form and that too in some style. After registering scores of 0 and 19 in the first two matches of the series, the Pakistan skipper came under a lot of criticism for failing to play a big knock in challenging conditions in England. However, the No. 1  ranked batsman in ODIs once again proved on Tuesday why he is regarded as one of the best talents in world cricket right now.

Azam becomes fastest player to score 14 ODI tons

The 26-year-old walked out to bat in the 5th over after Pakistan lost an early wicket of Fakhar Zaman. Babar Azam started very cautiously as he played 14 dot balls on the trot before finally opening his account with a boundary off a beautiful flick. And this was it! The shackles were broken as the Pakistan skipper never looked back.

Azam continued to play some glorious shots as he notched up crucial partnerships with Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan for second and third wickets, respectively. He went on to complete his 14th ODI century and became the fastest player ever (81 innings) to reach the milestone. Azam scored 158 runs off 139 deliveries, smashing 14 boundaries and 4 sixes in what was undoubtedly one of the best ODI innings in recent times.

Twitterati heap praises on Azam for his classy knock

The netizens were absolutely delighted to watch Babar silencing all his critics with his heroic knock. While some fans loved the way the Pakistan skipper bounced back after registering two low scores in the series, others were just left in awe of Azam's class at Edgbaston.