PAK vs NZ: Babar Azam scores his 23rd ODI half-century
Babar Azam led Pakistan from the front in the 1st ODI against New Zealand at the National Stadium, Karachi. The Pakistan skipper slammed his 23rd ODI half-century, setting the foundation for their win. Babar has registered 10 half-centuries in his last 11 ODI innings. It was his fourth consecutive fifty in the format. Here are the key stats.
Babar slams 66 off 82 balls
Babar came to the middle after Imam-ul-Haq departed in the sixth over. The former shared a 78-run stand with Fakhar, getting Pakistan past the 100-run mark. Babar then added 60 runs along with Mohammad Rizwan. Glenn Phillips got rid of Babar in the 37th over. The right-handed batter finished with 66 off 82 balls (5 fours, 1 six).
Babar was on a roll in 2022
In 2022, Babar led Pakistan by example in the limited ODIs where his blade also did the talking. He smashed 679 runs at an incredible average of 84.87 and a strike rate of 90.77. He registered eight 50+ scores in these matches, including three centuries and five half-centuries. Babar was the only Pakistani batter to have smashed over 600 ODI runs that year.
Babar attains this feat
As mentioned, Babar has registered 10 half-centuries in his last 11 ODI innings. He has become the third batter to score 900 runs in 11 consecutive ODI innings. Virat Kohli and David Warner are the others with this feat. Babar's scores in the last 11 ODI innings read 158, 57, 114, 105*, 103, 77, 1, 74, 57, 91, and 66.
The summary of 1st ODI
New Zealand had a patchy start after Pakistan invited them to bat. They lost three wickets for 69 runs in 14.2 overs. Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham got the Kiwis past 120, but Mohammad Nawaz broke the pivotal stand. Naseem took a fifer as NZ finished with 255/9. Fakhar, Babar, and Rizwan scored fifties as Pakistan comfortably chased the target.
