Babar Azam, the Pakistan captain is one of the all-time greats, showcased his exceptional skills with a remarkable century against Nepal during the Asia Cup’s opening match in Multan on Wednesday.
In an impressive display, Babar scored an outstanding 151 runs from only 131 deliveries. This achievement also propelled him ahead of South African legend Hashim Amla, making him the fastest player in cricket history to reach 19 ODI centuries.
Babar accomplished this feat in just 102 ODI innings, surpassing Amla’s previous record of 104 innings. His rapid rise in achieving milestones sets him apart as a remarkable player.
The top-ranked ODI batsman struck 14 boundaries along with four impressive sixes in his captivating knock, leading to the creation of additional records.
Interestingly, this score of 151 stands as the tournament’s second-highest, falling short only of Virat Kohli’s remarkable 183 vs Pakistan in 2012 during the Asia Cup.
This innings marked a historic moment as the captain’s score crossed 150 at an Asia Cup, surpassing the previous captain’s high of 136, achieved by Kohli against Bangladesh in 2014.
Impressively, this is only the second instance where Babar Azam has surpassed the 150-run mark in ODIs, with his highest ODI score still standing at 158 against England in Birmingham during 2021.
As a result of this remarkable performance, Babar Azam continues to hold a significant lead as the No.1 ranked player in the MRF Tyres ODI Batting Rankings.
This impressive performance elevated Babar’s ODI average to an exceptional 59.47, positioning him as the fourth-highest in men’s ODI cricket history. Remarkably, this average stands as the best among players with a minimum of 2000 ODI runs.
Notably, this century marked Babar’s 31st in international cricket, bringing him on par with Pakistan’s cricket legends Javed Miandad and Saeed Anwar. The only players ahead of him from Pakistan are Younis Khan (41), Mohammad Yousuf (39), and Inzamam-ul-Haq (35) in terms of international centuries.
The ongoing Asia Cup and the upcoming 13th edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup offer Babar ample chances to further establish new records before the year’s end.
Pakistan’s next match in the Asia Cup is against their arch-rivals India in Pallekele on Saturday. Following that, Pakistan’s first match in the World Cup this year is against the Netherlands in Hyderabad on October 6. These upcoming fixtures present significant opportunities for Babar and his team to make their mark.
