Babar Azam set to become the number one ODI batsman
Babar Azam starred for Pakistan in the third ODI against South Africa as the visitors claimed a 2-1 series victory. The Pakistani skipper was adjudged the Player of the Match for his 94-run innings that came off 82 balls. As a result, Babar is set to dethrone Indian captain Virat Kohli at the top in the ICC ODI Rankings for batsmen. Here is more.
ICC ODI Rankings: Babar to overtake Kohli soon
At the moment, Kohli leads the ICC ODI Batting Rankings with 857 points. His counterpart Babar follows him at number two (852). Notably, India aren't scheduled to play ODI cricket in the upcoming months. This could allow Babar to retain the top spot for long.
3rd ODI: Babar made an impact with his defiant 94
Babar played a solid knock in the third ODI after openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman shared a century-stand. Although Babar missed out on a 14th ODI ton, his 94-run innings certainly made an impact. His defiant knock was laced with 7 fours and 3 sixes. In the first ODI, Babar became the fastest men's cricketer to score 13 ODI tons.
Babar has an ODI average of 67.00 since January 2019
Since January 1, 2019, Babar has smashed 1,541 runs from 26 ODIs, fifth-most during the period. He is only behind Virat Kohli (1,937), Shai Hope (1,885), Aaron Finch (1,814) and Rohit Sharma (1,751) on the tally. Notably, Babar's ODI average of 67.00 during this period is the highest among the top ten on the list. His tally also includes five tons and eight half-centuries.
A look at his ODI career
Babar has already achieved several milestones, having made his international debut in 2015. In terms of numbers, Babar is following the footsteps of Kohli. His ODI average (56.83) is second-best presently (50 or more matches) after that of Kohli (59.07). In 80 matches, Babar has smashed 3,808 runs with 13 hundreds. And now, he is set to become the number one ODI batsman.
