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Pakistan National Cricket Team's debutant Test opener Azan Awais was dismissed for a duck on the very first ball of the ongoing Test match in Leeds. England National Cricket Team pacer Ollie Robinson dismissed the southpaw without a in swing delhivery, which hit right on the pads of the batter.
Interestingly, Azan Awais was dismissed only a few minutes after mentioning former England captain Alistair Cook as his favourite cricketer. After naming Cook as his favourite, a masterclass was expected from the emerging Pakistan batter; instead, the balloon, which had just started to float in the air, fell to the ground rapidly.
Azan Awais picks Alastair Cook as favourite player
Ahead of the opening over of the match, Azan Awais told the broadcasters that the former England opener Alistair Cook was his favourite cricketer. The 21-year-old claimed that throughout his life, he has been watching left-handed batters, mostly the batting of Alistair Cook.
"I have seen a lot of cricketers, like English batters and left-handed batters, in my whole life. But one of the players who is my favorite is Sir Alistair Cook. And I watch him very closely, and very good. He batted really well in Test cricket," Awais said.
The Pakistan batter further mentioned that he first saw Cook's batting on television and used to watch his batting all day long. Through Cook's batting, Azan Awais came to learn about batting technique and temperament.
"So, when I was growing up, I saw him on television, and I saw he batted a full day. So people called him a running machine. So, that’s why I saw him and his batting technique, his temperament," he added.
Ollie Robinson removes Azan Awais on 1st ball to complete 500 FC wickets
England pacer Ollie Robinson was the bowler to provide England with their best possible start in the Test match. With the wicket of Awais, the seamer completed his 500 First-Class wicket tally. The batter went for a review, but his bat missed everything on the ball, so there was no inside edge as well. The Ultra Edge showed a flat line on the screen, and the umpire raised his finger instantly.
Hello and welcome to Day One of the 1st Test betw...
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Robbo strikes! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/VWTcBHyxXD
Losing a wicket on the very first ball of a Test match is very rare in Pakistan cricket history. Before today's incident, there was only one instance when the Men in Green lost a batter on the first delivery of a Test match. He also became the first batter from the country to be dismissed off the first ball of a Test series.
Back in 1983, former Pakistan batter Mohsin Khan was dismissed against India by the legendary Kapil Dev in Jalandhar. That too was a leg before wicket dismissal.
"Goal to achieve a good, high-scoring run for my team": Azan Awais on scoring against England
After mentioning Alistair Cook as his favorite cricketer, Azan Awais mentioned that he is at Headingley to achieve a goal, which is scoring high-scoring knocks for the Pakistan cricket team, for winning causes. The southpaw even mentioned that because of his previous England tour, he was well aware of the conditions there in Leeds, and was hoping for the best possible outcomes.
"I think it’s a goal to achieve a good, high-scoring run for my team, and especially for the team that won here. So I’m really happy. And last year I came here for the Pakistan A team. So I know some of the conditions. So, I’m fully prepared for it," the Pakistan opener stated.
