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LAHORE: Pakistan’s ace batter Babar Azam on Sunday broke another record held by India’s Virat Kohli, becoming the leading half-century maker in the men’s T20Is.
The 31-year-old reached the landmark feat during Pakistan’s third T20I against Australia, scoring 50* from 36 balls with the aid of three fours and a six.
The knock marked Babar’s 39th half-century in T20Is, taking him past Kohli, who brought down curtains on his decorated limited-overs career in 2024 after scoring 38 fifties.
39* – Babar Azam Pakistan (132 innings)
38 – Virat Kohli India (117 innings)
32 – Rohit Sharma India (151 innings)
30 – Mohammad Rizwan Pakistan (93 innings)
28 – David Warner (110 innings)
28 – Jos Buttler (132 innings)
For those unaware, Babar is also the top run-scorer in men’s T20Is, accumulating 4505 runs in 132 innings, with an average of 39.51 and a strike rate of 128.38. Additionally, he has scored three centuries in this format.
With the help of his half-century, Pakistan posted a daunting total of 207 in 20 overs against Australia.
In reply, Australia were bowled out for just 96 in 16.5 overs. The visitors lost the fixture by 111 runs, their biggest margin of defeat in T20I cricket.
For Pakistan, Mohammad Nawaz picked up five wicket haul in his quota of four overs while giving away 19. Shaheen Shah Afridi also took two wickets.
With this win, Pakistan also completed 3-0 whitewash over them, a timely confidence booster ahead of T20 World Cup 2026.
READ: India defeat Pakistan to reach U19 World Cup semi-final
