Mohammad Nabi Warns Babar Azam For Leaving Crease Early At Bowler's End, Video Surfaces

Mohammad Nabi did not affect a run out but chose to warn Babar Azam against leaving his crease early during the PAK vs AFG, World Cup 2023 fixture.

During the ongoing match between Afghanistan and Pakistan of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Afghanistan spinner Mohammad Nabi was observed warning Pakistan's captain, Babar Azam, after the Pakistan captain tried to leave his creas at the bowling end before the ball was released by the bowler. The match is taking place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Pakistan had won two out of their four games in the tournament, while Afghanistan had managed to secure just one victory in their four matches.  On several occasions during the match, Babar Azam was seen leaving the crease early at the non-striker's end, and Nabi took notice of this and warned him. This incident occurred just before the first ball of the 16th over when Nabi was set to bowl. He cautioned Babar and instructed him to stay inside the crease. The Pakistan captain acknowledged the warning and returned inside the crease.

This occurrence is not unique, as there have been instances of batters being cautioned about leaving the crease too early at the non-striker's end in the ongoing ICC Men's World Cup 2023. Earlier in the tournament, Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc made multiple warnings to Sri Lankan opening batsman Kusal Perera for the possibility of a mankad in the Australia vs. Sri Lanka match.

Pakistan entered this match following two significant losses, one to India in Ahmedabad and another to Australia in Bengaluru. They conceded 399 runs in the latter match, with David Warner and Mitchell Marsh both scoring centuries. Despite a solid start with openers contributing over 100 runs in the first 21 overs, Pakistan couldn't maintain the momentum and lost the match by 82 runs.

Babar Azam Scored 72 off 92 against Afghanistan

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat against Afghanistan in their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 clash.

"We will bat first. The pitch looks very dry and might spin. We have one change, unfortunately Nawaz has fever and Shadab is back. We will have to give our 100% in every match and step-up, that's what I want from my players. The pitch might help the pacers under lights," stated Babar at the toss.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan got off to a promising start, reaching 56 runs without losing any wickets during the initial 10 overs. Afghanistan, however, managed to regain control during the middle overs. Nonetheless, it was the partnership between Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed worth 73 off 45 that propelled Pakistan to a final total of 282-7 after half-centuries from Abdullah Shafique (58 off 75) and Babar Azam (74 off 92).

With two wins out of four games in the tournament, Pakistan currently occupy the fifth spot on the points table, with a negative net run rate of -0.45. They will need to win at least four of their remaining five matches to have a chance at a spot in the semi-finals.