Babar Azam Breaks Imran Khan’s Record
Babar Azam did not perform well in the first Test against the West Indies, but he more than compensated in the opening innings of the second Test against the same opponents. The Pakistan Test captain was under pressure to produce, and he delivered in the first innings.
The Windies scored 344 runs in their first innings, while Pakistan lost two wickets for 98 runs when Babar came out to play. On a pitch that suited pacers, Babar and Abdullah Shafique consolidated the score, finishing undefeated on 86.
In the process, the Test captain surpassed Imran Khan and tied Javed Miandad for the most fifties scored by a Pakistan captain in Tests.
The right-handed batter produced some stunning strokes to reach his 13th half-century as Test skipper. In the process, he matched Javed Miandad, and Babar now has the joint fourth-most Test fifties as Pakistan captain.
Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq leads with 35 fifty-plus runs, followed by Imran Khan with 14 such scores.
Inzamam-ul-Haq has 14 50-plus scores as Pakistan’s Test captain, while Miandad and Babar have 13 each. If the 31-year-old gets 50 in the second innings, he will surpass Miandad and match Imran Khan and Inzamam.
Babar Azam surpassed Imran Khan’s Test batting record.
At the end of Day 2, Babar Azam remained unbeaten, and in addition to equalling Miandad, the number four batter broke Imran Khan’s batting record. As captain, Babar now has a Test average of 54.1 (minimum 1000 runs), which puts him ahead of Imran Khan and Salim Malik.
Highest average as captain for Pakistan in Tests (1000+ runs)
- Babar Azam – 54.1
- Saleem Malik – 52.4
- Imran Khan – 52.3
- Inzamam-ul-Haq – 52.1
- Misbah-ul-Haq – 51.4
Aside from Imran Khan and Salim Malik, the list also includes Misbah-ul-Haq and Inzamam-ul-Haq, two of the game’s greatest players.
Babar Azam’s overall batting record as Pakistan’s test captain
Babar Azam has an impressive record as Pakistan’s Test captain. So far, the graceful batsman has led his country in 22 Tests and scored 1894 runs with an average of 54.1.
As captain, he has an excellent batting record, with four hundreds and 13 fifties in 22 games. In fact, captaincy draws the best out of Babar Azam. As captain, he has a Test average of 54, whilst as non-captain, that figure lowers to 38.78.
As Pakistan’s captain, he is the fifth-highest run-getter in Tests and has already set various milestones as his career progresses.
The batter will bat on Day 3 of the second Test against the West Indies, hoping to score his fifth Test hundred as captain.
