Babar Azam has bounced back from a lean patch with a solid knock of 73 runs off 95 balls in the second ODI against South Africa on December 19. Ahead of the third ODI, Babar is just 95 runs away from making history. He needs to score only 95 more runs to become the fastest player ever to reach 6000 runs in ODI cricket.
The current record is held by South Africa’s Hashim Amla, who reached 6000 runs in 123 innings. Babar, having played 119 innings so far, needs just three more innings to break Amla’s record. The list of players closest to the milestone includes Virat Kohli (136 innings), Kane Williamson (139), David Warner (139), and Shikhar Dhawan (140).
In addition to this, Babar Azam is also closing in on another major milestone. With 19 ODI centuries to his name, he is just one century away from equaling Pakistan’s legendary Saeed Anwar’s record for the most ODI centuries for Pakistan.
Babar’s performance in the second ODI was crucial as Pakistan secured an 81-run victory over South Africa. His 73 runs significantly contributed to the team taking a commanding lead in the series. Consequently, the third ODI is scheduled for December 22 in Johannesburg, where Pakistan will look to extend their advantage.
Notably, Babar also surpassed MS Dhoni’s record for most half-centuries against SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia). Babar now holds the record with 39 half-centuries, edging ahead of Dhoni’s previous tally of 38. Despite recent criticism of his form, Babar continues to make his mark in the ODI format.
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