In 2016, a 9th-ranked ODI team was dismantled and hopeless until a guy from Lahore allured fans. Pakistani spectators were regularly used to such a downfall until they met Babar Azam, technically sound and oozing class of the highest order. The inspirational cricketing journey of Babar Azam from a ball-picker to now an all-format captain of Pakistan is talked about globally.
Babar Azam broke Javed Miandad’s record for most runs scored in a single edition for Pakistan during his first-ever ODI World Cup in 2019. Numerous worthy records in recent years for star batter include ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year (2021, 2022), ICC Cricketer of the Year (2022), only captain to take Pakistan to #1 ODI ranking, only Pakistan skipper to defeat India in a World Cup.
Babar Azam rightly earned the title of “Badshah of Cricket” by ICC as he is the only batter to feature in the top 5 ranked batters in all formats. He is a run-machine who loves scoring 100s at will so we will discuss Babar Azam centuries through multiple angles below.
Format-Wise Centuries Distribution
Babar Azam’s achievements in all formats of cricket highlight his exceptional talent. At such a young age, he has already scored 31 centuries, and he’s just beginning to reach his peak. Below, we’ll take a look at Babar Azam’s centuries across different formats: ODIs, Tests, and T20s.
Test Cricket
Babar faced challenges in his first 15 Test matches, scoring only 744 runs. However, after making his first Test century against New Zealand in 2018, he has excelled, accumulating 3,025 runs in just 34 matches since then. In total, Babar has hit 9 centuries in 49 Test matches, with an impressive average of 47.75.
His performance earned him a spot in the ICC Test Team of the Year for 2022, as he was the top run-scorer that year with 1,184 runs. Babar’s Test career is steadily reaching new heights.
ODIs |
T20s |
|
Babar Azam has truly made his mark in ODIs since his debut. His centuries in this format shine brightly, and he recently became the fastest player to score 19 centuries in just 102 innings.
Babar also holds the record for the most runs (5,089) scored after playing 100 ODI matches, boasting the highest average in the world at 59.5. No player has been more consistent than Babar in ODIs, thanks to his impressive conversion rate from fifties to hundreds. |
Babar Azam is the second player to score 10 or more centuries in T20 cricket overall. In T20 Internationals, he has the joint second-most centuries, with 3 to his name. Notably, two of those centuries came while chasing targets over 200 runs, making him the only player to achieve this feat. Since 2020, Babar has consistently ranked among the top three T20I batsmen. He has also accumulated the fourth-most runs in T20 internationals, with a total of 3,485 runs in just 8 years of international cricket.
|
Nation-Wise Centuries Distribution
Young Babar Azam first captured the attention of the cricket world in 2016 when he scored three consecutive centuries against the West Indies during an ODI series. To date, five of his total centuries have come against the Windies. On subcontinental pitches, Babar has excelled against Sri Lanka, accumulating six centuries against their bowling attack.
Babar thrives when facing pace, and his performance against the formidable fast bowling attacks of Australia, New Zealand, and England is impressive, with 14 centuries against these teams highlighting his exceptional skill as a batsman.
Notably, around 44% of his international runs have been scored against SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia), indicating his potential to become a cricketing great. Furthermore, Babar is unique in cricket history for having achieved three consecutive centuries on two separate occasions in his career.
Home vs. Away Centuries
In Test cricket, Babar Azam has scored 6 centuries at home and 3 abroad. Two of his away centuries came under challenging conditions: a solid 104 against Australia and a match-winning 119 against Sri Lanka. His home performance is exceptional, boasting an average of 71. While most of his away matches were during the early part of his career, a more experienced Babar is still looking to establish his dominance in those conditions.
Babar’s favorite format is ODI cricket, where he is just one century shy of breaking Saeed Anwar’s record for the most centuries by a Pakistani batter. In only 102 innings, he has already reached 19 hundreds, with 12 scored away and 7 at home. Additionally, he holds a unique record for scoring a T20I century while chasing targets over 200 runs, both at home and abroad.
Here’s a breakdown of Babar Azam’s centuries by country:
- Pakistan: 15
- UAE: 6
- West Indies: 1
- Australia: 2
- England: 3
- South Africa: 2
- Sri Lanka: 1
- Zimbabwe: 1
Babar Azam Centuries- Tests
| No | Score | Opponent | Venue | Date | Result |
| 1 | 127* | New Zealand | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | November 24, 2018 | Won |
| 2 | 104 | Australia | The Gabba, Brisbane | November 21, 2019 | Lost |
| 3 | 102* | Sri Lanka | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi | December 11, 2019 | Drawn |
| 4 | 100* | Sri Lanka | National Stadium, Karachi | December 19, 2019 | Won |
| 5 | 143 | Bangladesh | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi | February 7, 2020 | Won |
| 6 | 196 | Australia | National Stadium, Karachi | March 12, 2021 | Drawn |
| 7 | 119 | Sri Lanka | Galle International Stadium, Galle | July 16, 2022 | Won |
| 8 | 136 | England | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi | December 1, 2022 | Lost |
| 9 | 161 | New Zealand | National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi | December 26, 2022 | Drawn |