Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has been shattering records in the last few years by showcasing consistent performances across formats. While this year saw him amass 10,000 and 11,000 international runs, Babar has succeeded in adding yet another feather in his cap in the ongoing first Test match against England at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
While Azam registered another mouth-watering century and also completed 1000 Test runs at home, the 28-year-old also succeeded in breaking a unique record of smashing the most tons in international cricket in 2022.
Babar Azam’s purple patch in 2022
Thus, with seven centuries this year, the Pakistan captain surpassed English batting sensation Jonny Bairstow’s overall tally of six tons in 2022. Apart from these two, Babar’s teammate Imam-ul-Haq and former England Test skipper Joe Root have registered five centuries each while Australian Test opener Usman Khawaja has four tons to his name.
In addition to those seven tons, Azam has also succeeded in registering 14 half-centuries this year. In this match (1st Test against England), Babar scored 136 runs off 168 deliveries as Pakistan are on the verge of breaching the 500-run mark in reply to England’s first innings total of 657 on a perfectly flat wicket.
Now, with two more Tests left after this, it remains to be seen whether the Pakistan captain would be able to add more centuries to his tally and end this year on a high. Meanwhile, on a personal note, this indeed is a morale-boosting milestone for Babar Azam who has a miserable run on the 22 yards in two major tournaments this year- Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup.
However, both tournaments were good for Pakistan collectively as a unit as they made the final going down to Sri Lanka and England respectively.
Coming back to the Rawalpindi Test match, Pakistan finished the third day’s play on 499/7 and they still trail by 158 runs. The hosts would be looking to reduce their deficit and surpass England’s first innings lead when the play resumes on Sunday, December 4.
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