KARACHI: Pakistan’s top batter and skipper Babar Azam has claimed several records to his name with a fighting century-knock against Australia under pressure.
With Babar’s most recent hundred, which came against Australia on the fourth day of the ongoing Karachi Test. The right-handed batter became only the third captain in the history of cricket to score a hundred in all three formats.
Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan and former South African captain Faf du Plessis were the first two captains to achieve this feat.
With his unbeaten century in the run chase against Australia, Babar has also become only the second batter in the history of world cricket to score a hundred in each format while chasing. India’s KL Rahul was the first batter to achieve this milestone.
The right-handed batter has also broken Younis’s record of the highest score by a Pakistan batter in the fourth innings. Younis scored 171* against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2015.
The ninth-ranked Test batter has tumbled Michael Atherton’s all-time world record of the highest score by a captain in the fourth innings (185) as Babar is currently unbeaten 187.
Furthermore, Babar has now surpassed Shoaib Malik’s record of playing the longest innings by a Pakistan batter in the fourth innings of a Test in terms of balls faced.
He has faced 371 balls so far in his gritty innings, while the previous best was Shoaib facing 369 deliveries.
With Babar’s splendid 228-runs partnership with Abdullah in the run chase against Australia. The pair have recorded the second-highest partnership in the fourth innings of a Test match in Asia. Pakistan’s Shan Masood and Younis Khan hold the record of the highest partnership with their 242-runs stand against Sri Lanka in 2015.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan need 148 more runs in 24 overs to seal the highest run chase in the history of Test cricket.
READ: Paula Badosa keeps Indian Wells WTA title defense on track
