Babar Azam registers 50th 50-plus score in ODIs: Stats
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam hammered a compact half-century against South Africa in Match 26 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Chennai. This was his 50th score of 50 or more in ODIs as Babar has now joined an elite list. He has been a consistent run-getter in the format. This was his third fifty of the ongoing WC. Here are his stats.
A solid knock from Babar
Babar arrived to bat at three after opener Abdullah Shafique departed for nine. He joined forces with wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan (31) and the duo stitched a 48-run stand for the third wicket. Babar registered another crucial stand with Iftikhar Ahmed, taking Pakistan over 130. He fell prey to Tabraiz Shamsi after scoring 50 off 65 balls ( 4 fours, 1 six).
Eighth Pakistan batter to get this feat
Babar became the eighth batter to accomplish 50 ODI scores or 50 or more for Pakistan. He has joined the likes of Inzaman-ul-Haq (93), Mohammad Yousuf (77), Saeed Anwar (63), Javed Miandad (58), Younis Khan (55), Shoaib Malik (53), and Saleem Malik (52) in the elite list. Meanwhile, Babar's tally includes 31 fifties and 19 tons. Only Anwar (20) has more centuries for Pakistan.
Babar can be the second-fastest to 20 ODI centuries
Babar, who is playing his 111th ODI innings, can become the second-fastest batter to reach 20 ODI centuries. He can go past India's Virat Kohli, who took 133 innings to reach the milestone. SA's Hashim Amla is the fastest to the 20-century mark in ODIs, having taken just 108 innings.
Babar was the fastest batter to surpass 5,000 ODI runs
Earlier this year, Babar became the fastest to surpass 5,000 ODI runs, in only 97 innings. Playing his 114th ODI match, Babar has raced to 5,616 runs at a 56-plus average (56.72). He has maintained an ODI strike rate of 88-plus. Notably, he has the best ODI average among Pakistani batters with at least 1,000 runs in this format.
A look at Babar's ODI form this year
Babar has returned with 952 runs from 22 ODI matches at an average of 47.60 in 2023. The tally includes nine fifties and two centuries. Mohammad Rizwan (961) is the only other Pakistan batter with over 900 ODI runs in 2023. Meanwhile, in ODI WCs, Babar now has 681 runs in 12 games at 52.38. The tally includes six fifties and a ton.
Babar averages 63.66 versus SA
Babar's fifty has taken him to 573 runs versus South Africa. He averages a solid 63.66 versus SA. He also slammed his fourth fifty against the Proteas (100s: 1).
