Babar Azam achieves milestone in ICC ODI event against India
Babar Azam achieved a significant milestone in his career during the Champions Trophy 2025 match against India on Sunday, becoming the third Pakistan batter to score 1,000 runs in ICC One-Day International (ODI) tournaments.
The 30-year-old reached the landmark in his 24th innings, playing a stylish drive to the cover boundary off Harshit Rana's delivery.
He joins Saeed Anwar and Javed Miandad as the only other Pakistani players to have scored 1,000 or more runs in ICC ODI events.
Azam's achievement comes after a difficult run of form, with his last century coming in August 2023 against Nepal.
In the tournament's opening match against New Zealand, he scored a slow 64 runs off 90 balls, facing criticism for his strike rate as Pakistan fell short in the 321-run chase.
Despite this, the former captain has shown resilience, having recently made a strong comeback in Test cricket after being dropped from the team during the home series against England.
Most Runs for Pakistan in ICC ODI Tournaments:
Saeed Anwar – 1204 runs in 25 innings
Javed Miandad – 1083 runs in 30 innings
Babar Azam – 1005 runs in 24 innings
Mohammad Yousuf – 870 runs in 25 innings
Misbah-ul-Haq – 865 runs in 19 innings
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Maharaj reclaims No.1 ranking for ODI bowlers
South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj has re-claimed his mantle as the No.1 ranked ODI bowler in the world following the latest update to the ICC Men's Player Rankings. Maharaj returns to the premier ranking spot on the back of his maiden ODI five-wicket haul against Australia in Cairns on Tuesday, with the left-armer gaining two places to climb in front of Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana (second) and India tweaker Kuldeep Yadav (third) on the updated rankings. The 35-year-old veteran used all his experience to collect figures of 5/33 against Australia, which ensured the Proteas registered an impressive 98-run victory and helped him return to the top of the rankings pinnacle. Maharaj first held the No.1 ODI bowler ranking back in November 2023 when he displaced India seamer Mohammed Siraj during the most recent edition of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup and the spinner has maintained a place inside the top five spots on the rankings ever since. There is more joy on the rankings for South Africa, with experienced duo Aiden Markram (up four rungs to 21) and Temba Bavuma (up five spots to 23) both gaining ground on the latest list for ODI batters following half-centuries in that opening game of the ongoing series with Australia. Stand-in skipper Mitch Marsh played a lone hand during that contest with a superb innings of 88 and was rewarded by gaining six places to improve to 48th on the latest rankings for ODI batters, while West Indies hard-hitter Shai Hope jumps two spots to ninth on the same list after his side's series against Pakistan. West Indies speedster Jayden Seales (up 15 places to 18th) makes ground on the list for ODI bowlers following his 10 scalps during the series, while Pakistan's biggest mover is Abrar Ahmed (up 15 spots to equal 39th) after his three wickets from two appearances across the three-game series The completion of the T20I series between Australia and South Africa also sees a host of performers from both teams make ground on the latest rankings in T20I cricket. South Africa youngster Dewald Brevis jumps nine spots to equal 12th on the list for T20I batters following some eye-catching efforts across the series, while Australia duo Marsh (up four rungs to 25th) and Glenn Maxwell (up 10 spots to 30th) make ground courtesy of some important knocks that helped the Aussies claim the series 2-1. Impressive seamer Nathan Ellis (up three places to ninth) is the big mover up the rankings for T20I bowlers, with fellow Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood rising two spots to improve to 18th following some consistent efforts against the Proteas.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Youth over experience
The Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to exclude stalwarts Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the national Asia Cup squad comes as a surprise, but not a total shock. While framed as a necessary evolution toward "fearless cricket", the move still risks undermining team stability for uncertain gains. The selectors' rationale hinges on undeniable statistical realities — Babar's career T20I strike rate of 129.22 and Rizwan's 125.37 lag significantly behind modern powerhouses like England's openers, who regularly exceed 140 in the shortest form of the game. In fact, since 2022, their powerplay strike rates plummeted further to 116 and 117.4 — criminally low in an era where 130 is unexceptional. This conservatism contributed to Pakistan's catastrophic 2024 T20 World Cup group-stage exit, including a historic loss to the USA. This is also why both players have remained sidelined from the T20 squad for several months. However, discarding proven match-winners demands deeper examination. Babar and Rizwan have amassed 2,522 runs as a partnership — the highest for any Pakistani opening pair — with eight century stands. Their defenders have noted that the pair reliability provided solid starts that the middle order rarely capitalised on. Conversely, their replacements — Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz — have higher strike rates, but significantly lower averages, which loosely translates into more shaky starts. Should the top order collapse under pressure — especially during the match against India — the absence of Babar-Rizwan's resilience will haunt the team's legacy. The uninspiring run of results since head coach Mike Hesson took over in May has done little to inspire confidence in the team. However, Hesson has a track record of success elsewhere, so he may know something we don't. At the end of the day, the decision is defensible, but just barely. Success will make Aqib Javed and the rest of the selectors look like geniuses. Failure, not so much.
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business Recorder
Babar, Rizwan demoted as PCB announces central contracts
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has demoted star batter Babar Azam and One-Day International (ODI) captain Mohammad Rizwan from the A to the B category, as it announced central contracts for 2025-26. Compared to last year's list of 27 contracted players, the PCB has expanded the pool to 30, including 12 fresh additions, highlighting the emergence of promising new talent and the Board's strategic focus on squad depth and future development. The new entrants are Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza and Sufyan Moqim. Five players have been promoted owing to their performances last year. They are: Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha and Shadab Khan – all promoted from C to B category. Additionally, nine players have retained their positions in the same categories. They are: Abdullah Shafique (Category C), Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr – all in Category D, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel – all in Category C and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Category B). Eight players have missed out on contracts this year. They are: Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Usman Khan – all in Category (D). List of this year's centrally contacted players: Category B (10 players): Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Category C (10 players): Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan and Saud Shakeel. Category D (10 players): Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood and Sufyan Moqim.
