There was a controversy on Day 1 of the opening Test between Pakistan and South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium when an off-the-cuff remark made by ex-Pakistan skipper and former PCB chief Ramiz Raja not meant for television was inadvertently caught by the on-field microphones. The observation, made against star batter Babar Azam, soon spread on social media and drew intense criticism.
The drama played out in the opening ball of the 49th over when Babar, batting on 1, was given out caught behind off Senuran Muthusamy. Signalling for a DRS check straight away, Babar appeared sure that he hadn’t nicked the ball. At the time, Raja, on commentary duty but speaking off-mic, could be heard remarking, “Yeh out hai, drama karega” (This is out, now he’ll make a scene).
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Ramiz raja trolling Babar Azam "ye out hoga to drama karega" 😭😂😂 #PAKvSA #BabarAzam pic.twitter.com/Lde4bp0xX3
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Though the comment was not among the official commentary stream, it was caught by ambient microphones and heard by the broadcast viewers. But replays revealed there was no contact with the bat, and the third umpire reversed the decision in Babar’s favor, affirming no edge.
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Babar Azam looked in good form on Day 1 in the first Test against South Africa where he played some fluent strokes. Despite the promising start he was dismissed at the score of 23 in the final session. By the end of the day 1, Pakistan posted a target of 313 for 5.
