Urdu Report Desk
Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam has reached another major milestone in his international career, becoming the fifth Pakistani to score 16,000 runs across all three formats of international cricket.
Babar achieved the landmark on Sunday while batting against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the ODI tri-series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. He needed just seven runs at the start of the match to reach the milestone.
The right-handed batter scored 45 runs off 57 balls, including six fours, before being caught by Pavan Rathnayake off Sri Lankan bowler Eshan Malinga. He was unable to convert his innings into a bigger score but crossed the 16,000-run mark in the process.
Pakistan’s 16,000-Run Club
Before Babar, four Pakistani batting greats had reached the 16,000-run milestone in international cricket: Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Javed Miandad.
Babar achieved the feat in his 399th international innings. Mohammad Yousuf reached the mark in 388 innings, Javed Miandad in 398, Inzamam-ul-Haq in 432 and Younis Khan in 449 innings.
Babar therefore reached the milestone one innings later than Miandad and 11 innings later than Mohammad Yousuf.
Records in ODI and T20 International Cricket
Babar has established several records during his international career. By 2018, he had become joint-second-fastest to score 2,000 runs in ODI cricket. He also became the fastest batter to reach 1,000 runs in T20 internationals.
In 2022, Babar ranked among the world’s top three batters in both Test and ODI cricket. He scored 1,184 Test runs that year, including four centuries.
Over the past several years, Babar has remained a key part of Pakistan’s batting lineup, producing important performances across all three international formats.
Short-Ball Weakness Remains a Concern
While reaching 16,000 international runs is a significant career achievement, Babar’s recent form and difficulties against short-pitched deliveries have continued to attract attention.
His dismissal against Sri Lanka once again highlighted the issue, as he fell to a short ball after scoring 45 runs.
The concern comes as Pakistan prepares for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The conditions in these countries can offer fast bowlers additional pace and bounce, potentially making short-pitched deliveries a significant challenge for batters.
Opposition bowlers could study footage of Babar’s previous innings and target him with short deliveries early in his innings.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has also warned that continued struggles with form could raise questions about Babar’s place in the ODI team.
Despite his extensive international experience, improving his response to short-pitched bowling could be important for Babar as Pakistan looks ahead to the World Cup. The team will need consistent contributions from its leading batters at the tournament.
A Look at Babar Azam’s Career
Born in Lahore, Babar comes from a cricketing family and is related to the Akmal brothers. He progressed through Pakistan’s junior cricket system and demonstrated his batting ability at an early age.
Babar was part of Pakistan’s Under-15 cricket setup in 2008. He later emerged as Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in the 2010 and 2012 Under-19 World Cups.
He made his international debut during Pakistan’s home series against Zimbabwe, scoring a half-century in his first match.
In 2016, at the age of 21, Babar announced himself as a major batting talent by scoring three consecutive centuries in an ODI series against the West Indies.
His performances in limited-overs cricket subsequently earned him a place in Pakistan’s Test team. Following the retirements of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, Babar further established himself as one of Pakistan’s leading batters.
