On the fourth day of the second Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s, a steep, quick short-pitched delivery from Jofra Archer ended Babar Azam’s innings. Rib-high and directed straight at the stumps, the ball was steep and awkward from the moment it left Archer’s hand, leaving the Pakistani batter in serious difficulty.
Earlier in the same innings, Archer had clocked 146 km/h, repeatedly unsettling Babar across several deliveries to build pressure before the decisive ball arrived. When it came, Babar attempted a pull but ended up flapping or fending at the delivery instead. The ball caught the edge, struck his helmet, and popped up into the air. Jordan Cox, stationed at second slip, settled underneath it and completed the catch comfortably.
Video footage of the dismissal circulated on social media, capturing the moment the star Pakistani batter had to make the long walk back to the pavilion after a brief stay at the crease.
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Pakistan’s position after the wicket
At the time of the dismissal, Pakistan were chasing a target of 389 in their second innings. The loss of Babar, one of the side’s most reliable batters across formats, made an already demanding task considerably harder for the touring team.
Ollie Robinson had also made his presence felt in the same innings. He removed Abdullah Shafique with a good-length delivery that angled in before seaming away late, beating the outside edge and crashing into the top of off stump. These two wickets left England firmly in control, needing just seven or eight more runs to seal the match. Furthermore, concerns over the fitness of opening batter Imam-ul-Haq added additional pressure on Pakistan’s batting resources.
The Lahore-born cricketer made his Test debut on October 13, 2016, against West Indies. The right-handed batter has been central to his country’s batting across all three formats in recent years. However, his recent dip in form has become a growing cause for concern among fans of both Babar and Pakistan cricket.
