Fans Accuse Babar Azam Of Stealing Bats As Corruption Racket Gets Busted In Pakistan Cricket Team

Pakistan went through a tough time in last year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States of America. They failed to qualify for the super-eight stage of the competition because of some poor performances in all three departments of the game.

Just like the 2023 ODI World Cup, where the Green Brigade failed to qualify for the semifinal of the event, they couldn’t do well in the shortest format for the last year. The same show continued even in the home Champions Trophy, where the Mohammad Rizwan-led side failed to win a single game in three group-stage encounters.

Pakistan player accused of financial scam during T20 World Cup 2024

Apart from the game inside the field, another humiliating piece of news has popped up for Pakistan Cricket. A senior journalist of the country, on his official X handle, claimed that a player bought three bats during the T20 World Cup but is yet to fulfill the payment.

Also Read: IPL 2025: RCB Playing XI vs KKR- Match 01

He states that the bats were bought from a store in New Jersey that traveled from New York to deliver them. The popular player has not paid the money for the bats and is not even responding to the store owner's calls.

There is no clarity on the player, but the journalist expects it to be a renowned batter of the side. Under Babar Azam’s leadership, the national side had wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan, opener Saim Ayub, and Fakhar Zaman. There is a chance that one of these batters could be the main culprit.

If the claims are true, then it’s not a good sign for the reputation of the PCB, which is already suffering a lot in recent times. They eye to make a bold comeback in the next ICC T20 event, to be held in India and Sri Lanka.

Pakistan dawns new T20 era with victory vs New Zealand

Amidst all of these tensions in the country, a young side, with the absence of some of the notable names, blew away New Zealand during the third of the five-match T20I series at Eden Park in Auckland. The Blackcaps were ahead with two successive wins in the first couple of games.

Haris Rauf’s brilliant catch at fine leg set the stage for the visitors. Pakistan kept on taking wickets regularly throughout the inning. Mark Chapman clubbed 94 runs in 44 balls at a strike rate of over 200, thanks to 11 boundaries and four sixes. But none of the middle-order Kiwi batters contributed in the first innings.

New Zealand’s captain, Michael Bracewell, smashed 31 runs in 18 balls to carry them over the 200-run mark. But the Salman Ali Agha-led side made the chase a walk in the park. Opener Hasan Nawaz, who got two successive ducks in the last two games, smashed an unbeaten 105 runs in 45 balls, while the leader celebrated his fifty in 31 balls.

Also Read: IPL 2025: KKR vs RCB Free Live Streaming, Where To Watch IPL Live In India? Match 01

Pakistan chased down 207 runs in 16 overs with nine wickets in hand. That was a bold message from the young side as they prepared themselves for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Pakistan aims to win bilateral T20I series vs New Zealand

Due to the victory, the series is alive for the national side. The fourth game of the series will take place at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The last encounter of the series will be on March 26 at the Sky Stadium in Wellington.

After the completion of the shortest format, the focus will shift to the three ODIs in Napier, Hamilton, and Mount Maunganui.