Babar Azam makes history, becomes first Pakistani to score most international runs in a year

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 06 Jan 2023

KARACHI: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam made yet another history on Monday when he became the first Pakistani to score the most number of international runs in a year.

He also broke Ricky Ponting’s record for scoring the most fifty-plus score as a captain in a calendar year in international cricket. Ricky Ponting smashed 24 fifty-plus scores in 2005 and now Babar Azam has scored 25 fifty-plus scores this year.

Skipper Babar Azam achieved the feat when he scored the 13th run of his innings against New Zealand in the first Test being played at National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi.

He broke the record set by Pakistan batting coach Mohammad Yousuf when he scored 2,435 runs in 2006.

Babar Azam has scored 735 runs in T20, 679 in ODI, and over 1,000 runs in the red ball format of the game.

It may be added here that PCB’s interim Chief Selector Shahid Afridi has backed Babar Azam after he failed to prove himself in crunch situations.

In 2022, the Men in Green lost in the finals of the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup and were also whitewashed by England in the three-match Test series at home.

Praising Babar Azam, Shahid Afridi termed him the “backbone” of the Pakistan team. As the head of the selection committee, Afridi said that he wants to help Babar become a better leader as he is ready to share his experience with him