World Cup warm-ups, PAK vs NZ: Babar Azam hits 84-ball 80 in his first-ever outing in India

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Babar Azam scored 80 runs off 84 balls in his first-ever match on Indian soil at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday, September 29.

The Pakistan captain could not travel to India for the T20 World Cup in 2016 due to an injury. Notably, Mohammad Nawaz and Agha Salman are the only two players in the Pakistan World Cup 2023 squad who have earlier played in India.

Pakistan in their first practice match against New Zealand, won the toss and elected to bat first. Openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq could score 14 and one run respectively, but Babar Azam led Pakistan's comeback alongside Mohammad Rizwan.

The number one ranked ODI batter smashed eight fours and two sixes in the stadium which did not host fans due to security reasons. He was just 20 runs short of a hundred in his maiden outing in India at any level when Mitchell Santner got his wicket following a brilliant catch from Daryl Mitchell who ran in from long on to grab a stunning catch at mid-on. The right-hander attempted a slog-sweep on a tossed up delivery which ballooned up in the air.

Babar Azam's partnership with Mohammad Rizwan for the third wicket accounted for 114. The duo laid a perfect foundation for the coming batters to post a high total on the board.

The Pakistan team arrived in India on Wednesday after a gap of seven years. They will play their second and final warm-up match against Australia at the same venue on October 3. The 1992 champions will kick off their campaign against Netherlands on October 6 in Hyderabad.