LAHORE: The Babar Azam controversial dismissal sparks umpiring row in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy after a video of the incident went viral on social media, drawing severe criticism from cricket fans over the standard of domestic officiating.
Representing Lahore Whites against FATA, the national Test captain was given out caught behind for 28 runs. Video replays indicated that the delivery from fast bowler Afaq passed the batter without making contact with the edge of his bat before reaching the wicketkeeper.
The dismissal arrived at a crucial juncture when Lahore Whites reached 120 runs for the loss of three wickets.
Despite the ball missing the bat, the field umpire upheld the bowler’s appeal, forcing the star batter to walk off frustrated.
Meanwhile, national wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan made a roaring comeback in domestic cricket by registering an unbeaten double century.
With social media ablaze over the decision, the Babar Azam controversial dismissal sparks umpiring row in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as fans demand better technology and officiating standards across Pakistan’s red-ball circuit.
Special Note: Babar Azam’s Poor Form in Recent Times
Babar Azam gone for 28 in Domestic cricket
He was not happy with the controversial decision https://t.co/5HcgTUn9y2
— ٰImran Siddique (@imransiddique89) November 4, 2026
Babar Azam, long considered the centerpiece of Pakistan’s batting lineup, has encountered a prolonged slump in form across international and domestic formats.
Once ranked among the top batters globally, the 32-year-old right-hander has struggled to produce impactful long-format innings, leading to growing scrutiny from cricket analysts and supporters.
His return to first-class cricket in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy was viewed as an opportunity to regain rhythm, reconstruct confidence, and address technical flaws.
However, his performances in the domestic arena have fallen short of expectations, yielding an average of just 17.2 across recent first-class innings.
Prior to this tournament, his outing in the President’s Cup and international series similarly reflected a persistent inability to convert starts into substantial scores.
Cricket experts point to multiple factors behind his recent dip, including changes in captaincy roles, technical adjustments against seam movement, and the immense psychological pressure of elevated national expectations.
ALSO READ: Babar Azam vs Shaheen Afridi: Big Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Clash Announced
Despite the recent string of low scores and unlucky refereeing decisions, cricket administrators and fans remain hopeful that the star batter will recalibrate his technique through rigorous domestic participation and regain his run-scoring consistency ahead of upcoming international commitments.
