Pakistan’s star batter, Babar Azam, had struggled with a series of low scores in the recently concluded Test series against Bangladesh. However, he made a stunning return in Pakistan’s One-day Champions Cup. As Pakistan’s white-ball captain, Babar smashed a brilliant century during the Champions Cup match between the Stallions and the Dolphins. His unbeaten 104 off 100 balls helped the Stallions post a competitive total of 271/7 in their 50 overs. Alongside his century, the 29-year-old achieved a major milestone by breaking Virat Kohli’s record in List A cricket.
Babar Azam breaks Virat Kohli’s record
Babar Azam has surpassed Virat Kohli in List A cricket, reaching 30 centuries faster than the Indian maestro. While Kohli holds a total of 54 List A centuries, Babar has now secured 30. What sets Babar apart is the pace at which he reached this mark. It took him just 180 innings, compared to Kohli, who took 199 innings to achieve 30 centuries in List A cricket. This milestone further solidifies Babar’s reputation as one of the finest batters in modern cricket.
Quickest batters to 30 List A hundreds:
| Batter | Innings | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Babar Azam | 180 | Pakistan |
| Virat Kohli | 199 | India |
| Hashim Amla | 225 | South Africa |
| Martin Guptill | 259 | New Zealand |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 262 | India |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 267 | India |
| Rohit Sharma | 275 | India |
Babar Azam’s brilliant century
Babar’s innings was a batting masterclass. Despite being under scrutiny, he played with grace, scoring 104 runs, which included seven fours and three sixes. The Stallions were in a good position when Babar came to the crease, but the middle-order collapse slowed down his scoring rate. Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed even sledged him for the slowdown. Nevertheless, Babar remained composed, accelerating towards the end with two massive sixes in the second last over.
This century came as a huge confidence boost for Babar, who was under immense pressure coming into the tournament.
Crucial Knock for the Stallions
Babar’s innings was crucial in steering the Stallions to a competitive total. He capped off his century with a boundary in the second-last delivery of the innings. This was his second major contribution in the tournament, having already scored a fifty in the earlier game against the Lions.
Partnerships and struggles for the Stallions
After Shan Masood’s dismissal, Babar partnered with Yasir Khan, who contributed 46 off 58 balls before falling to Saud Shakeel in the 16th over. Tayyab Tahir, who replaced Yasir, made a brief appearance with 33 off 49 balls. The Stallions’ troubles deepened when captain Mohammad Haris was dismissed for just six runs, leaving them struggling at 162/4 in the 34th over.
Lower order contributions
Hussain Talat, known for his lower-order prowess, supported Babar with 23 runs before the tail-enders, Jahandad Khan and Mehran Mumtaz, could only manage eight and three runs respectively. Among the Dolphins’ bowlers, Mir Hamza, Faheem Ashraf, Qasim Akram, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Saud Shakeel picked up a wicket each, while Abbas Afridi remained wicketless.
