Pakistan needed 326 to win the final at the Gaddafi Stadium and lost Maaz Sadaqat in the second over, which brought Babar Azam in with the chase already under strain. He lasted five balls.
Sri Lanka had set the trap before he arrived. A solitary fielder was posted at fourth slip for him, Dilshan Madushanka floated one up outside off, and Babar drove at it.
The edge flew to Pavan Rathnayake, who juggled it and held on, diving forward at the fourth attempt, leaving Pakistan 14 for 2 inside four overs.
It capped a tournament he will want to forget. Babar made 118 runs across five innings at an average of 23.60 without a single half-century, in a competition where Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis made 131 in the final alone.
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The response was immediate and almost entirely one-directional, with several supporters naming a replacement rather than asking for patience. "Bring in Sahibzada Farhan in place of this serial failure. Enough is enough!" one wrote .
Bring in Sahibzada Farhan in place of this serial failure, #BabarAzam . Enough is enough!
Others framed it as a selection problem rather than a form problem, pointing out that the scores have not cost him his place. "Still the first name on the team sheet though. Pakistan really can't think beyond a walking wicket," one posted .
#BabarAzam in the final: 0 (5) Consistency king since 2023 Still the first name on the team sheet though. Pakistan really can’t think beyond a walking wicket. If you’re still a Babar fan, God save you because I can’t.
The sharpest line was about the occasion rather than the dismissal, and it is the charge Babar has struggled to shake for three years. "Whenever there is big total on board, pressure on team, and the opposition is toughest, the all-time greatest Babar Azam is always the first one to walk back to the pavilion," one wrote .
Whenever there is big total on board, pressure on team, and the opposition is toughest, the all-time greatest Babar Azam is always the first one to walk back to the pavilion.
Some did not bother with the detail at all. "Babar Azam is overrated," one wrote, showing their discontent for the batter. Once counted at the same level as the Fab 4 quartet of Kohli, Root, Williamson and Smith, he has now not hit a century in nearly a year.
The most measured response simply laid out the tournament numbers. "He managed just 118 runs in 5 matches at an average of 23.60, failing to register a single half-century. A series to forget for Pakistan's star batter," one noted .
A disappointing tri-series for Babar Azam! He managed just 118 runs in 5 matches at an average of 23.60, failing to register a single half-century. A series to forget for Pakistan's star batter. #BabarAzam #PakistanCricket
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Babar Azam's numbers in his recent games might be disappointing for many supporters, but the numbers are much less worrisome than the reaction. His ODI average since 2023 remains at 38. While that's quite a drop from his career average of 53, it's still not enough to call the collapse.
What makes those returns so difficult to defend is where they keep landing. In a tri-series where the pitches have favoured batters over bowlers, Babar still couldn't score fifty in any of the five innings he played, including today's duck. That performance is precisely the pattern his critics have pointed to for three years.
More troubling than the average, though, is what Sri Lanka did to get him out. Kamindu Mendis posted a solitary fielder at fourth slip for Babar alone, Dilshan Madushanka floated one up outside to invite the drive, and the plan worked inside three deliveries. That's what happens when opposition captains are confident enough in a weakness to set a field for it and that's what Azam needs to work on.
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Deepanjan Mitra is a content writer and editor based in India, with extensive experience working across a variety of sports. He combines a passion for storytelling with an ability to deliver insightful news, analysis, and feature stories and has previously worked for the likes of Sports Illustrated and Essentially Sports.
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