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Axar Patel’s stunning direct hit caught Imam-Ul-Haq a foot short of his crease to give India the second breakthrough of the day.
Snippets from Axar Patel’s stunning run-out of Imam-Ul-Haq. (PC: X)
All-rounder Axar Patel ran out Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq with a stunning direct hit in the first innings of Sunday’s 2025 Champions Trophy clash, bagging himself the moment of the match as early as the 10th over.
Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav kept Imam on the strike on the first ball as the left-hander came down the track to defend. He tried the same on the next ball and this time, pushed it to mid-on where Axar pounced on it and hit the bulls-eye. Imam was quick but fell at least a foot short of his crease and had to go for 10 (26).
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Imam would be disappointed to have not converted his comeback match after being out of international action since 2023. He was not in Pakistan’s plans originally for the Champions Trophy but injuries to Saim Ayub and then Fakhar Zaman made the team call him.
This was the sixth time he was run out in 72 ODI innings, which won’t help his image of being a slow-runner between the wickets.
As for Axar, he has probably put himself into the India-Pakistan highlight reels for the foreseeable future, like his senior spin all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja who had run out Shoaib Malik in the 2017 Champions Trophy group stage match between these two teams.
Imam was the second Pakistani wicket to fall in the match after Babar Azam only an over ago. Babar looked in excellent touch for his 23 (26) but couldn’t convert it, getting out chasing a wide ball against Hardik Pandya.
Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan joined hands at the crease after back-to-back wickets. It was now their responsibility to get Pakistan back into the game.
The hosts are under immense pressure as this match is a must-win for them after they lost to New Zealand by 60 runs in the first match of the tournament. India, on the other hand, are full of confidence having beaten Bangladesh by six wickets in their season opener.
