Published By: Nibandh Vinod
Last Updated: October 15, 2023, 07:05 IST
Babar Azam is one of the finest batters ever to don the Pakistan cricket team jersey. (Image: babarazam/Instagram)
Happy Birthday Babar Azam: The Pakistan skipper’s career has been absolutely stellar. Here’s all you need to know about the Pakistan skipper, from his early days as a prodigy to his current status as one of the best batsmen in the world.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABAR AZAM: Babar Azam is a Pakistani cricketer who is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world today. He was born on October 15, 1994, in Lahore, Pakistan, and made his international debut in 2015. Since then, he has gone on to become a mainstay of the Pakistan team in all three formats of the game.
One of the finest batters ever to don the Pakistan cricket team jersey, Babar’s career has been absolutely stellar. He became the fastest cricketer in the history of the game to score 19 ODI centuries. Surpassing Hashim Amla’s previous record, Babar set a new feat having featured in just 102 ODI innings.
The Pakistan cricket team skipper achieved this feat having notched an Asia Cup century against Nepal earlier this year. Babar also emerged as the second fastest cricketer to 2000 ODI runs and the second quickest to notch 1000 T20I runs.
As Babar Azam celebrates his 29th birthday today it is time to take a look his cricketing journey, career and performances against India.
Babar Azam’s Rise
Prior to his sublime international career, Babar rose through the ranks in age-group cricket. He was part of Pakistan’s U-15 world championship squad in 2008. He even featured in two U-19 World Cups in 2010 and 2012.
International Career
Babar earned his maiden international call-up in 2015 against Zimbabwe. Babar played his first international game during an ODI in May 2015.
In September 2016, Babar Azam featured in first T20I match against England. Three back-to-back ODI hundreds against West Indies eventually resulted in Babar’s Test debut a month later. In red-ball cricket, Babar played his first match against West Indies. Having played 49 Tests so far, Babar scored 3772 runs at an average of 47.74. Babar has nine centuries and 26 half centuries to his name in this format.
In T20Is, Babar has a formidable strike rate of 128.40 in 104 matches. Babar has three centuries and 30 half-centuries under his belt in T20I cricket. In the 50-overs format, Babar has scored 5424 runs at an average of 57.09. Babar has 19 centuries and 28 half-centuries under his belt in ODI cricket.
Performances Against India
In the shortest format of the game Babar Azam has scored 92 runs in four matches. Babar, however, has not played in a Test match against India. In ODIs, he has scored 168 runs in seven games with an average of 28 and a strike rate 72.41.