Babar Azam career profiles, ODI stats, records, and rankings: Everything you need to know

Babar Azam. (Photo Source: ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan captain Babar Azam who is one of the most prolific and consistent batters in world cricket right now was born on October 15, 1994, in Lahore, Pakistan. The right-handed batter, with his consistent performances across formats over the past few years, is now considered one of the modern-day greats alongside India’s Virat Kohli, Australia’s Steven Smith, England’s Joe Root, and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.

The 28-year-old made his international debut for the Men in Green by featuring in a one-day international match against Zimbabwe in Harare in the year 2015. He made his maiden appearance in the shortest international format against England next year in 2016 in Manchester. Babar donned the White Jersey for the first time in the same year against West Indies in Dubai (DSC).

After making his ODI debut, Babar just went from strength to strength as he became a permanent member of that setup. He scored runs on a consistent basis which made him one of the most crucial and vital players in the line-up. Babar had already established himself early on in his ODI career but his most notable achievement came against West Indies in the year 2016 when he smashed 360 runs in a three-match bilateral series in the United Arab Emirates.

He hammered centuries in all three ODIs with scores of 120, 123 and 117. It is still the joint-most runs scored by a batter in a three-match series with the other player being Shubman Gill (against New Zealand in India in 2023). Fast forward to 2023, Babar has now become the best player around the world in this format with a solid and impressive average of 57.59. He has struck 19 centuries for his country in the 50-overs format which is just one shy of former Pakistani left-hander Saeed Anwar (20).

The Lahore-born player is also ahead of three of the above-mentioned ‘Fab 4’ cricketers as Smith (12), Williamson (13) and Root (16) are all behind him. Only run-machine Kohli is miles ahead of the Pakistani captain with his staggering 47 hundred in this format. The Asian giants will bank on Babar to do the dual job of captaincy and amassing runs to perfection in the ongoing World Cup as they look to clinch their second title after a memorable and victorious 1992 campaign.

Babar Azam ODI Stats: