Babar Azam became the fifth men’s player and eighth overall to reach 3000 runs in T20Is, as well as the joint-quickest to do so alongside Virat Kohli.
Babar Azam, the all-format captain, scored a sparkling half-century in the sixth game of the seven-match T20I series against England on Friday at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, helping his side to a respectable total of 169 runs.
With 87 runs off 59 balls, including seven boundaries and three maximums, the right-hander became the joint-fastest batter to reach 3,000 international runs in the game’s shortest format.
The 27-year-old is now the first Pakistani batter and the fifth overall to reach 3,000 T20I runs. He accomplished this feat in 81 innings at a 44-run average, including 27 half-centuries and two centuries.
The Lahore-born batsman has now joined the ranks of Indian batting legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, as well as Martin Guptill of New Zealand and Paul Stirling of Ireland, in scoring 3000 runs in T20Is.
| Batter | Team | Runs | Inning |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 3694 | 131 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 3660 | 99 |
| Martin Guptill | New Zealand | 3497 | 117 |
| Paul Stirling | Ireland | 3011 | 113 |
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | 3007 | 81 |
He scored 110 runs in the series’ second game, helping his team chase down more than 200 runs without losing a wicket and becoming the first Pakistani batter to score two centuries in T20Is.
He also became the second-fastest batter in history to score 8,000 T20 runs, trailing only former West Indian explosive opener Chris Gayle, and the second Pakistan batter to do so, following seasoned batter Shoaib Malik.
To read our blog on “Mohammad Rizwan unseats Babar Azam as the top T20I player,” click here
