SPORTS DESK
LAHORE: Pakistan’s star batter and former captain Babar Azam finally ended his long wait for an international century, smashing his 32nd career ton after more than two years, two months and 15 days.
Babar reached the three-figure mark in style, completing his century off 115 deliveries with a single off Pramod Madushan.
The milestone is his first international hundred since his innings against Nepal during the 2023 ACC Men’s Asia Cup, a period in which he repeatedly got promising starts but fell short of converting them into big scores.
During the drought, the 31-year-old produced several fifties across formats but couldn’t cross the 100-run mark. His previous outing in the opening ODI against Sri Lanka showed flashes of his best form before Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed him with a googly for 29, extending his wait to 83 innings without a century—tying India’s Virat Kohli on the list topped by Sri Lankan great Sanath Jayasuriya.
But in what became his 84th innings since that last hundred, Babar finally broke the deadlock, bringing an end to 807 days without a century.
The long-awaited knock now adds to his impressive collection: 32 international hundreds—20 in ODIs, nine in Tests, and three in T20Is—alongside 104 half-centuries across all formats.
By reaching his 20th ODI ton, Babar has also drawn level with Saeed Anwar for the most one-day centuries by a Pakistani. While Anwar took 244 innings to set the record, Babar matched it in just 136 outings, underscoring his remarkable consistency.
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