F.P. Reprot
KARACHI: Babar Azam after breaking the record of South Africa’s legend Hashim Amla’s record of fastest to reach 5000 ODI runs in the fourth One Day International against New Zealand in Karachi broke another record of AMla in the same match.
Babar became the fastest to 18 ODI hundreds breaking another Amla’s record. Babar took 97 innings to reach the three figures mark for 18 times.
Previously, the record was with Amla who took 108 innings to reach the 18th ODI. India’s Virat Kohli reached the feat in 119 innings while AB Devilliers took 159 innings to register 18 centuries while Saurav Ganguly is now in fifth spot taking 174 innings to reach the mark.
Last year Babar narrowly missed equaling Amla’s record for the fastest 4,000 ODI runs in 81 innings.
Babar has been the number one batter on the International Cricket Council’s rankings for ODIs for the last two years.
He is the 14th Pakistani to complete 5,000 or more runs in ODI cricket, with former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq at the top of the list with 11,701 runs.
The unassuming Babar made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in his hometown of Lahore in May 2015.
He is also the only batter to twice score consecutive hundreds in three ODIs, having achieved the feat in 2016 and 2022.
Saeed Anwar leads the way for Pakistani batters with the most ODI hundreds as he reached the three figures mark 20 times in his career and is well within reach of the second-placed Babar Azam. Mohammad Yousuf is at third place with 15 tons, Mohammad Hafeez is fourth with 11 tons and Fakhar Zaman fifth with 10 tons.
