In the opening match of the Asia Cup held in Multan, Pakistan’s captain,Babar Azam, solidified his status as one of the cricketing greats with aremarkable individual century against Nepal. Babar’s brilliant performancesaw him achieve a magnificent score of 151 runs from just 131 deliveries.This remarkable feat not only showcased his exceptional batting prowess butalso etched his name in the annals of cricket history.
In an impressive display of skill, Babar Azam managed to surpass thelegendary Hashim Amla of South Africa, setting a new record for being thefastest player in the history of the game to achieve 19 One DayInternational (ODI) centuries. This incredible achievement was realized injust 102 ODI innings, eclipsing Amla’s previous record of 104 innings. Theworld’s top-ranked ODI batter demonstrated his dominance by hitting 14boundaries and launching four towering sixes during his captivatinginnings, leading to the shattering of multiple records.
Notably, Babar’s score of 151 stands as the second-highest individual scoreever achieved in the Asia Cup, a position just behind Virat Kohli’s iconic183 against Pakistan in 2012. What’s more, Babar’s performance marked ahistoric moment as he became the first captain to score 150 or more runs inan Asia Cup match, surpassing Kohli’s previous record of 136 againstBangladesh in 2014. This remarkable achievement underlines Babar’sleadership and batting prowess on the international stage.
This match also marked the second occasion when Babar Azam scored more than150 runs in an ODI, his highest being 158 against England in Birmingham in2021. With this exceptional inning, Babar maintained his firm grip on thetop spot in the ODI Batting Rankings, further solidifying his reputation asa premier player in the cricketing world. His remarkable batting prowesshas propelled him to an astonishing ODI average of 59.47, positioning himas the fourth-highest average in men’s ODI cricket history for players witha minimum of 2000 ODI runs.
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This extraordinary performance was Babar Azam’s 31st international century,a feat that placed him on par with Pakistani cricket legends Javed Miandadand Saeed Anwar. With this achievement, Babar joins the ranks of cricketinggreats like Younis Khan (41 centuries), Mohammad Yousuf (39 centuries), andInzamam-ul-Haq (35 centuries). As Babar Azam continues to demonstrate hisexceptional talent and make history on the cricket field, his legacy as oneof Pakistan’s cricketing icons is firmly secured
