Tri-Nation Series: Babar Azam Eyes Major Milestones
Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam is on the brink of achieving multiple milestones in One Day International (ODI) cricket during the ongoing tri-nation series featuring New Zealand and South Africa.
The former captain has a chance to surpass South African legend Hashim Amla’s record for the fastest player to reach 6,000 ODI runs. Amla set the record in 123 innings, while Babar has amassed 5,957 runs in 120 innings. He needs just 43 runs in his next two innings to claim the record.
Babar already holds the distinction of being the fastest batter to reach 5,000 ODI runs, accomplishing the feat in just 97 innings.
With 19 ODI centuries to his name, Babar is only one century away from matching the legendary Saeed Anwar’s record of 20 centuries—the most by a Pakistani batter. If he manages two centuries in this series, he will surpass Anwar and further cement his legacy.
Additionally, scoring a century in each of the three matches would place Babar alongside David Warner, Sourav Ganguly, and Tillakaratne Dilshan at 10th on the all-time list for most ODI centuries.
The tri-nation series began with Pakistan facing New Zealand at the revamped Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The tournament follows a single-league format, with New Zealand set to play South Africa on February 10. The action will then shift to Karachi, where Pakistan will face South Africa on February 12 in a day-night match at the National Bank Stadium.
The final, featuring the top two teams, will take place on February 14 at 2:00 PM PST.
