Pakistan had a fantastic Day 1 in their first Test against England in Multan, amassing 328 runs for the loss of just four wickets.
Opener Abdullah Shafique and captain Shan Masood each scored centuries, putting the hosts in a strong position as they head into the second day.
Even as the top two order batters made merry, Babar Azam was not one of them and his batting struggles continued.
On a pitch that favoured the batters, he managed only 30 runs off 71 balls before being dismissed by Chris Woakes, who was playing his first Test in Asia in eight years.
After a series of deliveries that lured him towards his off-stump, Woakes trapped Babar in front, prompting the former Pakistan captain to review the decision.
However, his challenge was more wishful thinking, as the ball-tracker showed three reds, leading to his disappointing exit from the crease.
Adding to Babar's frustration was the fact that only nine balls remained before the end of the day’s play.
When was the last time Babar Azam scored a fifty?
This dismissal means that Babar is approaching a two-year streak without scoring more than 50 runs in Test cricket.
Babar is at the top of an unfortunate list, having scored his last Test half-century in December 2022. His highest score in this period has been 41 runs against Australia in December 2023.
Since the beginning of 2023, he has gone 16 innings without reaching the 50-run mark. Other batters in this list include Shreyas Iyer with 12 innings, KS Bharat with 10, James McCollum with 8, and three other players with 7.
Interestingly, December 2022 also marks the last time Babar scored a century in Test matches. It was also the last time a Pakistan captain scored a Test century - until Shan Masood on Monday. Once boasting an average over 50, his current average has now dropped to 44.51 due to this challenging phase.
