Tag: Babar Azam

TRINIDAD: Pakistan star batter Babar Azam is on the verge of achieving two major milestones during the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies, starting today here at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

The former captain has scored 19 centuries in ODI cricket, with the last one occurring in 2023 against Nepal.

He is only one century away from equalling the record for the most centuries in ODI cricket by a Pakistani batter, currently held by the legendary Saeed Anwar, who scored a total of 20 centuries.

Saeed scored 20 centuries during his illustrious career, which spanned 247 matches and 244 innings. Meanwhile, Babar has played 131 ODI matches so far.

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In the upcoming three-match ODI series against the West Indies, he has the opportunity to equal or even break Saeed’s record if he scores two centuries.

Most ODI Centuries for Pakistan

• Saeed Anwar – 20 centuries in 247 matches
• Babar Azam – 19* centuries in 131 matches
• Mohammad Yousuf – 15 centuries in 281 matches
• Fakhar Zaman – 11 centuries in 82 matches
• Mohammad Hafeez – 11 centuries in 218 matches

Moreover, Babar Azam has the opportunity to become the second-fastest batsman in ODI history to score 20 centuries.

The record for the fastest to reach this milestone is held by South Africa’s Hashim Amla, who accomplished it in 108 innings.

He is followed by Indian batting legend Virat Kohli, who reached 20 centuries in 133 innings.

Currently, with 19 centuries in 128 innings, Babar stands a good chance of breaking Kohli’s record if he scores his 20th century within his next four innings.

Fastest Players to 20 ODI Centuries

• Hashim Amla – 108 innings
• Virat Kohli – 133 innings
• AB de Villiers – 175 innings
• Rohit Sharma – 183 innings

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Pakistan ace batter Babar Azam is on the verge of achieving a major milestone in One Day International (ODI) cricket during the upcoming three-match series against the West Indies.

The opening match of the series is scheduled to commence on Wednesday, August 8, at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad.

Babar Azam has the opportunity to level and surpass Pakistan’s legendary batter Saeed Anwar’s tally of most centuries for the Green Shirts in the ODI format.

The 30-year-old has scored 19 ODI centuries, placing him in an impressive second position in the list of most centuries by Pakistani batters. He is just one century away from equaling the legendary Saeed Anwar’s record of 20 centuries.

Most ODI Centuries for Pakistan

Saeed Anwar – 247 matches, 20 centuries, 8824 runs

Babar Azam* – 131 matches, 19 centuries, 6235 runs

Mohammad Yousuf – 281 matches, 15 centuries, 9554 runs

In the forthcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies, Babar needs to score two centuries to surpass Saeed Anwar and further secure his legacy in cricket history.

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Furthermore, if he scores centuries in all three matches, he will join David Warner, Sourav Ganguly, and Tillakaratne Dilshan in tenth place on the list of most hundreds in ODIs.

It is noteworthy to mention that Babar Azam already holds the record for most centuries as a Pakistani player against the West Indies, with five centuries to his name.

Most ODI hundreds for Pakistan against West Indies

Babar Azam* – 10 matches, 5 centuries, 717 runs

Saeed Anwar – 17 matches, 2 centuries, 534 runs

Mohammad Yousuf – 25 matches, 2 centuries, 778 runs

The three-match series begins on August 8 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad & Tobago, with the remaining matches scheduled for August 10 and 12 at the same venue.

Pakistan ODI Squad

Mohammad Rizwan (c), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Muqeem

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Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has called for the return of star batter Babar Azam to the national T20I setup ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, which is scheduled to be held next month.

Babar, along with wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, has been missing from Pakistan’s T20I plans in recent months under the new management led by head coach Mike Hesson.

The 30-year-old last featured in a T20I against South Africa in December 2024, after which he was dropped following a string of inconsistent performances and concerns over his strike rate.

In a recent interview with a local sports platform, Wasim Akram expressed strong backing for Babar’s inclusion in the squad, stressing the importance of experience ahead of two major events, the ACC Asia Cup 2025 and the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

“If I had the authority, I would definitely include Babar Azam in the national T20 team,” Akram said. “The Asia Cup and the World Cup are just around the corner, and we need a senior batter who can handle pressure.”

Highlighting Babar’s ability to adjust, Akram pointed to the batter’s 2019 stint with Somerset in the T20 Blast, where he struck runs at a strike rate close to 150.

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“He has the ability to adapt his batting according to the situation,” he added.

“When we’re chasing 140 or 160, especially against big teams, we need someone who can take responsibility and carry the other 10 players along with him. Babar is among the world’s best players.”

Akram insisted that while younger players bring energy, experience remains key in knockout scenarios.

“He still has a lot of cricket left in him. He’s among the best in the world and we should support him instead of sidelining him,” the legendary left-arm pacer added.

On the question of batting position, Wasim Akram left the call to the team management but offered his own preference.

“The coach can play Babar at any position he wants. In my opinion, number three is ideal for him, but it will depend on the situation. If there are more overs left, someone else could also go in to bat first,” he concluded.

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Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has weighed in on the exclusion of Babar Azam from the national team’s T20I setup, questioning the logic behind dropping one of the team’s most consistent performers.

Speaking in a recent interview, Afridi was asked whether Babar and Mohammad Rizwan still deserve a place in the national side, especially with the Asia Cup and ICC T20 World Cup around the corner.

The 48-year-old responded by stressing the importance of consistency and strike rate in modern T20 cricket.

“I believe that, given the current situation I’m seeing, if we talk about strike rate, then the players should have an even better strike rate,” Shahid Afridi said.

He then expressed clear disappointment over Babar’s exclusion, highlighting how the former captain has repeatedly delivered under pressure and that his strike rate is comparable to the young players currently being tested.

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“Otherwise, Babar [Azam] is a consistent performer. He’s the kind of player that, when he steps onto the field, you expect him to score runs. He was playing with a similar strike rate, too, so we shouldn’t have dropped Babar him,” he stated.

Shahid Afridi maintained that backing young players is fine, but only if they offer something better.

“The players who are currently playing are fine, you’re giving new boys a chance. But they should be consistent and have a good strike rate,” he added.

It’s worth noting that both Babar and Rizwan have not featured in a T20I since December 2024.

Under the new setup led by head coach Mike Hesson, both have found themselves out of the selectors’ immediate plans.

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Former women’s team captain Sana Mir has expressed concerns over the decision to exclude Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from Pakistan’s T20I side.

Expressing her views during a sports show, Mir highlighted the national team’s inconsistent decisions

“Your main team comes under pressure when you corner players through forced selections,” she said.

“When we suggested that maybe one of them should come in between, that didn’t happen. And then suddenly, both were rested or dropped,” she added.

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Sana Mir stated that the decision to drop the senior duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan has added pressure on the team.

“Now, the pressure of that decision has shifted onto this team. There’s a need to justify somehow that team selection by proving that they [Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan] are not part of the team because they did not play modern-day cricket, and that these players do.

So the entire burden has now fallen on this current team, whether they accept it or not,” Sana Mir concluded.

For the unversed, Bangladesh defeated Pakistan in the second T20I by eight runs a day earlier in Dhaka, clinching their first-ever series in the format against Green Shirts.

Pakistan demonstrated a shambolic batting display, losing half of their side in the powerplay. However, Faheem Ashraf provided late resistance with a gusty half-century, but it was not enough as the hosts sealed a memorable win.

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MIRPUR: Explosive batter Fakhar Zaman on Tuesday broke ace batter Babar Azam’s record of taking most catches as a fielder for Pakistan in T20Is.

The 35-year-old surpassed the record in the second T20I against Bangladesh, taking the catch off Tanzim Hasan Sakib in the 16th over of the game.

Fakhar Zaman’s catch took his tally to 53 in 95 matches, overtaking Babar Azam, who took 52 in 128 games.

Most Catches for Pakistan in T20Is

Fakhar Zaman  95* matches  53 catches

Babar Azam 128 matches 52 catches

Shoaib Malik 123 matches 50 catches

Shadab Khan  112 matches 40 catches

At the time of filing this story, Pakistan were 15-5 in five overs with Salman Ali Agha and Khushdil Shah at the crease. Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman could only manage to score eight runs off eight balls

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Earlier, All-round bowling effort from Pakistan booked Bangladesh for a meagre total.

Put into bat first, Bangladesh were bowled out for 133 on the last ball of the penultimate over, courtesy of an impressive bowling display from Pakistan. Jaker Ali top scored with a 55-run knock featuring five sixes and a four.

For Pakistan, it was an all-round bowling effort. Abbas Afridi, Ahmed Daniyal, and Salman Mirza picked up two wickets each while Mohammad Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf managed to scalp one apiece.

Playing XIs

Pakistan

Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris (WK), Hasan Nawaz, Salman Agha (c), Mohammad Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Abbas Afridi, Salman Mirza, Ahmed Daniyal.

Bangladesh

Parvez Hossain Emon, Naim Sheikh, Litton Das (c)(wk), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman

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Pakistani-origin Italy batter Zain Naqvi has named Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam and England’s explosive wicketkeeper Jos Buttler as his cricketing idols.

Italy recently created history by securing qualification for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, their first-ever appearance at the global event.

They finished second in the Europe Region Final, with the Netherlands topping the table. The 2026 edition of the tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

In an exclusive conversation with ARY News, Zain said qualifying for the mega event had been a collective dream and the result of year-long preparation.

“Our team had one goal, to qualify for the [T20] World Cup,” he said.

“We’ve been preparing for the qualifiers for over a year. Beating Scotland was a major achievement for us.”

Naqvi, who originally hails from Kot Jaffar, a village in Mandi Bahauddin, Pakistan, moved to Italy with his parents at the age of 12.

He shared that his grandfather had always dreamt of seeing him play international cricket for Italy.

“I started with tape-ball cricket, like most of the Pakistani community here,” he said.

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“Eventually, I moved into professional cricket and earned my place in the national side through consistent performances in domestic competitions.”

Zain Naqvi admitted that cricket still trails far behind football in terms of popularity in Italy, and acknowledged it will take time for the sport to grow.

“Cricket doesn’t get much attention here; most people are focused on football,” he said.

“Italy doesn’t get many international fixtures from the ICC either, but now that we’ve qualified for the World Cup, we hope to get more opportunities.”

He added that efforts are underway to promote the game at the grassroots level across Italy.

“We’re actively working to promote cricket at the grassroots level,” he added.

When asked about his cricketing idols, Zain named Babar Azam as his favourite player, while also revealing that he models his batting style after England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler.

“I really admire Babar Azam,” he said. “And in terms of playing style, I try to follow Jos Buttler.”

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DHAKA: Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha has thrown his support behind senior batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, even as the duo miss out on the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.

Addressing the media in Dhaka on Saturday, ahead of the series opener on July 20, Salman said the squad is well-prepared and keen to play aggressive cricket in familiar subcontinental conditions.

“We’re under no pressure. The focus is on playing good cricket and entertaining the crowd here in Bangladesh,” he said.

Pakistan will face the hosts on July 20, 22, and 24 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, with all matches scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM (PST).

While acknowledging Bangladesh’s strength at home, Salman remained confident in Pakistan’s game plan.

“They’re a competitive side and tough to beat at home, but we’re also ready to play bold, attacking cricket,” he stated.

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Salman Ali Agha also highlighted the team’s preparation, including a tailored training camp in Karachi with pitches designed to mimic Dhaka conditions.

“Understanding conditions is crucial. Our BPL experience and camp preparation will help us adapt better to match situations,” he added.

The captain also weighed in on the absence of experienced campaigners Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, saying their contributions to Pakistan cricket remain invaluable.

“Babar and Rizwan are world-class players and have done wonders for Pakistan. But T20 cricket evolves quickly, and our current squad reflects the style we want to play right now. Whoever fits that brand can be part of the team,” he added.

Meanwhile, the series trophy was unveiled in a ceremony at a local hotel, with both captains, Salman and Liton Das, posing for photos ahead of the contest.

The upcoming series marks the second T20I face-off between Pakistan and Bangladesh this year. The Green Shirts had completed a 3-0 sweep in the previous encounter at home in May.

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Jimmy Neesham found himself in an unfortunate list during New Zealand’s tri-series clash against South Africa in Harare on Wednesday, joining the likes of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam in an unwanted T20I record.

The Kiwi all-rounder was dismissed for a second-ball duck, which was his seventh in T20Is, equalling the tally of several prominent names, including Kohli, Babar, Mohammad Hafeez, Quinton de Kock, and Jason Roy.

A total of 43 players now share this dubious distinction.

Neesham has also edged past fellow New Zealander Colin de Grandhomme, who previously held the national record with six ducks. The 34-year-old now owns the record for most ducks in T20Is for New Zealand.

Most T20I ducks for New Zealand:

• Jimmy Neesham – 7
• Colin de Grandhomme – 6
• Ish Sodhi – 6
• Tim Southee – 6
• Ross Taylor – 6
• Finn Allen – 5

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Globally, the record for most ducks in T20Is is jointly held by Rwanda’s Zappy Bimenyimana and Kevin Irakoze, Bangladesh’s Soumya Sarkar, Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka, and Ireland’s Paul Stirling, all with 13.

Despite the early exit of Jimmy Neesham, New Zealand cruised to a 21-run win over South Africa, registering their first victory of the tri-series.

Tim Robinson anchored the innings with an unbeaten 75 off 57 balls, while Bevon Jacobs added firepower with 44* off 30.

Tim Seifert chipped in with a brisk 22 as the Kiwis posted 173/5.

In response, South Africa were bowled out for 152 in 18.2 overs. Dewald Brevis top-scored with 35 off 18, followed by George Linde (30) and Lhuan-dre Pretorius (27).

Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy starred with the ball, picking up three wickets each. Ish Sodhi bagged two, while Mitchell Santner added one to his name.

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KARACHI: Pakistan’s Head Coach Mike Hesson has opened up on the role of ace batter Babar Azam in the T20I side amid the speculation regarding his wicket-keeping role.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of the Pakistan training camp, Hesson clarified the speculations regarding Babar Azam.

Recent media reports have claimed that Babar Azam has been offered a role as a wicketkeeper in a bid to secure his place in the team.

“Babar Azam is not being considered as a wicketkeeping option. There’s been a lot of chatter around this, but Babar is working to secure his place in the side as an opening batter,” he explained.

“There has been no talk with Babar regarding the wicket-keeping role. If he [Babar] could secure his place in the team, he would play alongside Fakhar Zaman or Saim Ayub,” he added.

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The newly appointed coach emphasized the needs of modern-day cricket, stressing the need for an aggressive approach.

“No player has been instructed to play with a strike rate of 150. We [Pakistan team] are lagging behind in T20 cricket due to our batting. The players have to play with intent in modern-day cricket,” he concluded.

It is worth noting that Babar Azam is not part of the T20I squad selected for the upcoming series against Bangladesh. The top-order batter, however, has been called to the training camp alongside Naseem Shah, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jr.

The right-handed batter last played for Pakistan in the shorter format against South Africa in 2024. Consequently, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were axed from the T20I side amid concerns regarding the adaptability of modern-day cricket.

Pakistan squad for Bangladesh series:

Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, and Sufyan Moqim

Pakistan-Bangladesh T20I Series Schedule 

20 July – First T20I at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (6pm local time)

22 July – Second T20I at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (6pm local time)

24 July – Third T20I at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (6pm local time)

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