Babar Azam Breaks Century Drought in ODI Against Sri Lanka
In an exciting match on Friday, November 14, Babar Azam, the star batsman of Pakistan, finally broke his century drought that lasted for 807 days. Playing at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Babar scored an impressive unbeaten 102 runs off 119 balls, hitting eight fours. His brilliant performance led Pakistan to successfully chase down Sri Lanka’s target of 289 runs, winning the match by eight wickets.
This century was particularly special for Babar as it marked his first one in 84 innings since he last reached three figures against Nepal on August 30 during the Asia Cup 2023. Despite scoring fifty runs 20 times since then, he had struggled to convert those into hundreds.
The crowd was jubilant, chanting his name, and Babar couldn’t help but express his relief after achieving this milestone. With this century, he now shares the record for the most ODI centuries for Pakistan with Saeed Anwar, both having 20 centuries to their names.
Babar achieved this feat in just 136 innings, making him the third-fastest player to reach 20 centuries in One Day Internationals, following Hashim Amla and Virat Kohli. He also set a new record for the most centuries by a Pakistani batsman on home soil, surpassing Mohammad Yousuf.
Babar walked to the crease after an excellent 77-run start from opening batsmen Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman, who laid the foundation for the chase. He started his innings slowly but settled in, scoring his first boundary after 23 balls. After reaching his fifty in 68 balls, Babar formed a solid 100-run partnership with Fakhar, who contributed 78 runs.
Later, he joined forces with Mohammad Rizwan, and together, they built an impressive 112-run partnership. Rizwan scored 51 runs, and Babar completed his century off 115 balls, guiding Pakistan to a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The final ODI of the series is scheduled to take place on Sunday, November 16, at the same venue.
