Last updated: December 26, 2024
Babar Azam of Pakistan created history in Centurion by becoming only the third player to amass over 4,000 runs in all three formats.
Babar returned to the Test squad on the first day of Pakistan’s Test against South Africa after being dropped during the England series.
His return was bittersweet. On the one hand, he established his position in cricket history, yet he did not contribute significantly to Pakistan’s innings. Despite his talent, Babar edged a delivery to Aiden Markram at second slip, departing with a poor 4-run knock.
Though his modest innings fell short of expectations, they were a significant milestone. Babar became the third cricketer to reach 4,000 runs in all three formats of international cricket, after Indian legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Babar’s Test score now stands at 4,001 runs from 56 matches, an average of 43.49, including nine hundreds and 26 fifties. In ODIs, the 30-year-old has scored 5,957 runs in 123 matches, average 56.73, with 19 hundreds and 34 fifties. In T20Is, he has 4,223 runs in 128 matches, an average of 39.84, including three centuries and 36 fifties.
His departure during the opening session exacerbated Pakistan’s troubles, as wickets continued to fall. Saud Shakeel, who appeared eager to increase the score, quickly followed Babar back to the pavilion.
Shakeel, attempting an aggressive drive, gloved a delivery to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne and went for 14 runs off six balls.
Pakistan found themselves in a perilous situation at 56/4. However, Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Rizwan anchored the innings with an important partnership.
The duo kept the scoreboard ticking, slowly rebuilding Pakistan’s innings.Ghulam took on the task of scoring quickly, sustaining a strike rate of above 100 for the majority of his innings. In contrast, Rizwan took a more conservative approach, meticulously selecting his shots to maintain the pace. (ANI)
