ICC T20 World Cup: Presenting unique stats of Babar Azam
The 2024 ICC T20 World Cup will get underway on June 1 with West Indies and USA being the hosts. Pakistan will fight for their second title in the event, having lifted the trophy in 2009. Notably, the Men in Green were the runners-up of the preceding edition. Here we decode the unique T20 WC records of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam.
Most runs for a captain in an edition
Babar led Pakistan from the front in the 2021 T20 World Cup in UAE. He amassed 303 runs at a strike rate of 126.25. He averaged a solid 60.6. These are the most runs by a captain in a T20 WC edition. England's Jos Buttler trails Babar in this regard, having amassed 225 runs at 45 in the 2022 event in Australia.
Only Pakistan captain with this feat
Babar is the only captain to have led Pakistan to victory versus India in a World Cup match (ODIs or T20Is). Under his leadership, the Men in Green defeated India by 10 wickets in the fourth match of the 2021 T20 World Cup. They chased down 152 in 17.5 overs as Babar led from the front with an unbeaten 68.
First opening pair to get this feat
Babar and Mohammad Rizwan helped Pakistan chase down 152 runs against India in 2021. En route to Pakistan's triumph, the duo became the first pair to record a 150-plus opening stand in T20 WCs. England's Buttler and Alex Hales, who added 170* against India in the 2022 event, are the only other opening pair with a 150-plus stand in T20 WCs.
Second-most balls faced in a T20 WC edition
Babar faced 240 balls in the 2021 edition of the gala tournament. Only India's Virat Kohli (247 in 2014) has faced more deliveries in an edition of the T20 WC. Meanwhile, the Pakistan skipper's tally of four scores of 50 or more in the 2021 competition is the joint-most for a batter in a single edition.
