KARACHI: Pakistan’s all-format captain and star batter Babar Azam has completed two years as the top-ranked ODI batter, today on April 14th 2023.
Following his sensational performance in Pakistan’s famous series win against South Africa in April 2021, scoring 228 runs including a century in the first ODI. The right-handed batter surpassed his then Indian counterpart, Virat Kohli by eight rating points; securing his career-best 865 points.
With his surge to the top spot, Babar ended Virat’s 41-month reign as the top ODI batter, who replaced South Africa’s AB de Villiers in October 2017.
After dethroning Kohli, became just the fourth Pakistan batsman to attain the top ODI ranking after Zaheer Abbas (1983-84), Javed Miandad (1988-89), and Mohammad Yousuf (2003).
Babar has played 15 ODIs since claiming the top spot in the ODI batting rankings and has scored 1005 runs at an astonishing average of 71.78 with the help of four centuries and seven half-centuries.
His scintillating run in the format, powered him to claim the prestigious ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year and was also named in the ODI Team of the Year.
