An awkward but hilarious moment unfolded just before Pakistan’s opening match of the three-match T20 series against Australia, when head coach Mike Hesson created an embarrassing scene around Babar Azam during a special team event at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Mike Hesson’s strange moment with Babar Azam goes viral
The occasion was to celebrate Babar Azam’s 100th international match for Pakistan on his home ground, and that too in front of his own crowd. However, instead of a memorable tribute, the moment turned out to be an uncomfortable one as the Pakistan head coach struggled to clearly recognize Babar in front of the team.
Speaking ahead of the first T20I, Hesson told the team that playing in front of their fans at home is always special and then congratulated Babar Azam on playing his 100th match for the country at home. Now the clip of that moment is going viral on social media.
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“Obviously playing a match at home in front of your home crowd is a special occasion, but today we have, I think, you know, umm… one of the greats of Pakistan cricket playing his 100th match for Pakistan today in Pakistan. So, I want to congratulate Babar Azam,” Mike Hesson told the team ahead of the opening match of the three-match T20 series.
“One of the great players of Pakistan is playing his 100th international match for Pakistan in Pakistan”
Mike Hesson congratulates Babar Azam on achieving another milestone.pic.twitter.com/aEPbwD4Neo
– Junaz (@dhilllow_) 29 January 2026
Struggling Babar gets new role before T20 World Cup 2026!
Earlier, Hesson had criticized Babar Azam for scoring slow runs and was also dropped from the T20 team. But now, he is back for the ongoing Australia series at home as well as the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka starting from February 7.
Now, the Pakistan coach has given a clear role to Babar. He wants him to bat at number three in T-20. In this position, Babar is expected to take over the innings, control the game with his solid technique and allow the hitters around him to play freely.
Well, Babar is coming into the Pakistan-Australia T20I series after a disappointing performance in the Big Bash League 2025-26 season, where he failed to make a strong impact for the Sydney Sixers. This has increased the scrutiny on his form and approach ahead of the mega event.
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Babar Azam’s reverse sweep backfires as Adam Zampa has him LBW in Lahore
The former Pakistan captain was expected to make his milestone game a memorable one for all, but once again he failed to perform well with the bat and was out after scoring just 24 runs off 20 balls against Australia in the first T20I in Lahore.
Adam Zampa bowled a clever ball to Babar Azam. The ball was a googly, bowled behind a length around the off-stump region. After pitching the ball turned back towards the stumps. Babar changed his stance and tried to play a reverse sweep, but he missed the ball and the ball hit his pads.
Although the Pakistan star refused to go, Zampa was confident that he had found the big fish. The Australian spinner immediately asked Travis Head for a review and he agreed. First, UltraEdge showed that the bat did not touch the ball at all.
But then the ball-tracking showed three red lights, which meant the ball must have hit the middle stump straight away. The decision stood on the field and Babar was given out LBW.