Former Pakistan captain and PCB chairman Ramiz Raja sparked controversy on Day 1 of the first Test between Pakistan and South Africa with an off-microphone comment. It was about the star batter of the team, Babar Azam, that was picked up by the broadcast audio and spread rapidly across social media.
The incident occurred on the first ball of the 49th over at the Gaddafi Stadium when Babar Azam was batting on just 1. He was given out caught behind off Senuran Muthusamy. As the batter immediately signaled for a DRS review, Raja, part of the commentary panel, was heard saying – “yeh out hain, drama karega.” (This is out, now he will be doing drama)
The remark by Raja was not on the commentary feed but was audible to the audience. However, replays showed no edge from Babar’s bat, and the on-field decision was reversed.
Babar Azam fails once more
Pakistan had won the toss and elected to bat first in the game. Opener Imam-ul-Haq and skipper Shan Masood built a partnership of 161 runs, providing a foundation to the innings. However, both the batters left their centuries in the middle as Haq got dismissed for 93 and Masood for 76.
The dismissals of the two batters triggered a middle-order collapse, with Pakistan slipping from 163 for 1 to 199 for 5. Babar Azam’s arrival came in a phase when the team needed him to stay there, show some resilience, and stabilise the proceedings. After surviving the early DRS call, he looked rusty and managed to score just 23 runs off 48 deliveries before being dismissed in the 60th over by Simon Harmer.
After the slump, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha steadied the ship and went through to stumps on Day 1 with an unbeaten 114-run partnership between them. Pakistan finished the day at 313/5, with Rizwan batting at 62 and Agha at 52. The two batters have looked confident handling South Africa’s three-spinner attack while displaying efficiency in their footwork and shot selection.
South Africa, the defending WTC champions, are chasing a record-extending 11th consecutive Test victory. Playing under their stand-in captain, Aiden Markram, in the absence of Temba Bavuma, South Africa went in with three spinners for the match along with their pace spearhead, Kagiso Rabada.
Notably, this series also marks the start of Pakistan’s 2025-27 World Test Championship campaign and represents a crucial opportunity for them to start on a high note after finishing at the bottom of the table last time.(HT)
