Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam claimed the third-highest runscorer title in T20Is, marking his 31st half-century in a stylish manner during the initial T20I clash against New Zealand in Auckland. Despite Babar’s commendable innings, Pakistan fell short in their pursuit, allowing New Zealand to seize a 1-0 lead in the series.
The batting maestro from Pakistan notched up his fifty in just 33 balls, including 5 fours and 2 sixes, displaying leadership prowess and precision in pacing his innings. With three centuries in T20Is and 19 in ODIs, Babar Azam is closing in on Saeed Anwar’s record of the most ODI centuries (20).
Babar Azam now stands behind Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who have amassed substantial runs in T20Is, scoring 4,038 and 3,853 runs, respectively.
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s |
| Virat Kohli |
107 |
4,008 | 52.73 |
137.96 |
1 |
| Rohit Sharma |
141 |
3,853 | 31.07 |
139.14 |
4 |
| Babar Azam |
99 |
3,542 | 41.67 |
128.84 |
3 |
| Martin Guptill |
118 |
3,531 | 31.81 |
135.70 |
2 |
| Paul Stirling |
133 |
3,438 | 28.18 |
135.72 |
1 |
Before this innings, Babar had struggled, going without a fifty in his last 12 innings. However, his innings of 57 runs off 35 balls, cut short by Ben Sears, marked the beginning of a batting collapse that ultimately led to New Zealand securing a 47-run victory in the five-match T20I series.
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This innings is expected to boost Babar’s confidence, offering Pakistani cricket fans hope for witnessing another “rich vein of form” from their premier batsman in the challenging New Zealand series.
Babar Azam’s All T20 International Records
Let’s delve into the tapestry of records that define the batting virtuoso’s T20I journey.
|
Category |
Record |
Position/Accomplishment |
| Most Runs | Most Runs in Career | 3542 |
| 20th Most Runs in an Innings | 122 | |
| 4th Most Runs in a Calendar Year | 939 | |
| 17th Most Runs in an Innings (by Batting Position) | 122 | |
| 32nd Most Runs in a Match on the Losing Side | 90 | |
| 8th Most Runs on a Single Ground | 648 | |
| 4th Most Runs in an Innings by a Captain | 122 | |
| Averages and Strike Rates | 9th Highest Career Batting Average | 41.67 |
| Hundreds | 4th Most Hundreds in a Career | 3 |
| Fifties | 2nd Most Fifties in Career | 34 |
| 8th Fifties in Consecutive Innings | 3 | |
| Ducks and Pairs | 13th Most Innings Before First Duck | 36 |
| 47th Most Consecutive Innings Without a Duck | 36 | |
| Boundaries | 2nd Most Fours in Career | 377 |
| 3rd Most Fours in an Innings | 15 | |
| 36th Most Runs from Fours and Sixes in an Innings | 84 | |
| Long Innings | 28th Longest Individual Innings (by Balls) | 66 |
| Fastest Career Runs | 3rd Fastest to 1000 Runs | 26 |
| 1st Fastest to 2000 Runs | 52 | |
| 1st Fastest to 2500 Runs | 62 | |
| 1st Fastest to 3000 Runs | 81 | |
| 2nd Fastest to 3500 Runs | 99 | |
| Most Catches | 18th Most Catches in Career | 43 |
| Innings Partnerships | 23rd Highest Partnership for the Second Wicket | 131* |
| 29th Highest Partnership for the Fifth Wicket | 87* | |
| Players | 17th Most Matches in Career | 105 |
| 19th Most Consecutive Matches for a Team | 55 | |
| 16th Most Player-of-the-Match Awards | 9 | |
| 2nd Most Player-of-the-Series Awards | 5 | |
| Captains | 4th Most Matches as Captain | 71 |
| 1st Most Consecutive Matches as Captain of a Team | 55 |