Babar Azam has made a brilliant start to his journey as Test captain as Pakistan defeated South Africa by seven wickets at the National Stadium in Karachi. With this, the hosts take an inevitable 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Although Azam wasn’t at his prime with the bat – scoring 7 and 30, his on-field decisions were indeed impressive. While he used the pacers precisely with the new ball, he allowed spin twins Nauman Ali and Yasir Shah to spin their webs in the middle overs. As a result, South Africa were bundled out for 220 and 245 in their two innings respectively. Pakistan vs South Africa, 1st Test Match Result: Nauman Ali and Yasir Shah Spin Web Over Proteas as Hosts Register Seven-Wicket Win.

For the unversed, Azam was appointed as Test captain last year when Pakistan lost to England 1-0 in the Test series. Although the 26-year-old was supposed to make his Test captaincy debut against New Zealand earlier this year, he got ruled out of the fixture due to a fractured thumb. Nevertheless, he eventually kick-started his career as Test captain emphatically. Like his batting style, Azam was aggressive while placing the field as Imran Butt and Abid Ali took several close-in catches.  The youngster’s effort also impressed the netizens as social media got flooded with praises. ICC World Test Championship 2019–21 Points Table Updated.

Record Alert!!

Brilliant Journey!!

Congratulatory Messages!!

Brilliant Shots!!

Sensational Start To Captaincy Career!!

More Praises!!

As mentioned above, Pakistan take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The second and decisive game will get underway on February 4 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. While Babar Azam’s men would like to register a clean sweep, South Africa will want to put up a better show to level the series 1-1.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 29, 2021 05:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).