Catch of the T20 World Cup? Babar Azam ensures Pakistan dodge the memes
India Today
Pakistan shrugged off opening-day jitters with a rare fielding masterclass. Babar Azam's stunning relay catch set the tone in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener against the Netherlands in Colombo.
It is not often that Pakistan tick most of the boxes on the opening day of an ICC tournament. If memory serves, at the last T20 World Cup, the former champions were stunned by debutants USA in their opening fixture. This time, however, Pakistan proved many wrong with an inspired fielding performance in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener against the Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday, February 7.
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The highlight of the morning at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) was a moment of pure, athletic desperation that instantly went viral. In the fourth over, Dutch opener Michael Levitt — who had been taking the attack to Shaheen Afridi — unleashed a ferocious lofted drive off Mohammad Nawaz.
The ball appeared destined for the long-off boundary until Babar Azam intervened. Sprinting at full tilt, Babar plucked the ball out of the air just inches from the rope. Realising that his momentum would carry him beyond the boundary cushion, he showed remarkable spatial awareness by flicking the ball back into play. Shaheen Afridi, tracking the action from mid-on, completed the relay catch to send a stunned Levitt back to the pavilion for 24.
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For a side often mocked for butterfingers and comical mid-pitch collisions, it was a defining moment. The catch did more than just break a threatening 28-run opening stand; it signalled a visible shift in intensity.
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