Pakistan’s Babar Azam becomes fastest to reach 2,000 runs in T20I cricket

Pakistan captain Babar Azam reached a great landmark in his flourishing international career this Sunday (April 25) in Harare. Playing against Zimbabwe in the third and final game of the T20I series, Babar became the fastest to reach 2,000 runs in the format.

This record was previously held by Indian modern-day great Virat Kohli, who did so in 56 innings back in July 2018 while playing against England in Manchester.

Babar Azam went past Kohli four innings earlier, only to further enhance his reputation as one of the finest batsmen around in contemporary cricket.

Babar entered the series-deciding T20I against Zimbabwe only six runs shy of the incredible milestone. Easily the best Pakistani batting talent to have emerged at the highest level in the last decade, Babar has been the most consistent performer for his country in the shortest version of the game.

Also Read: Babar Azam – Pakistan’s Great ODI Anchor

Babar Azam becomes fastest to reach 2,000 runs in T20I cricket

The 26-year-old Babar averages nearly 50 per innings in his T20I career with an improving strike-rate. Since the start of 2018, Babar Azam’s career T20I strike-rate has gone near the 140-mark, a significant shift from his initial days when it hovered around the 130.

The change is a result of an expansion of his range in recent years where Babar Azam has taken his game to another level against both pace and spin.

Not just Kohli, Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Paul Stirling, David Warner, Rohit Sharma, Eoin Morgan and Mohammad Hafeez also previously recorded their 2,000th run in T20 internationals. But none reached it as quickly as Babar Azam has done. The Pakistani stalwart is now also the 11th highest run-getter in the history of T20I cricket.

Also Read: Babar Azam Defends Sharjeel Khan’s Comeback To Pakistan’s T20I Side 

Pakistan’s dependency on Babar’s class and quality has been evident through the ongoing series against Zimbabwe. His two early dismissals left the vulnerable visiting batting line-up exposed a touch, keeping Zimbabwe interested and within their reach. The hosts, who lost the first T20I, scripted an astonishing turnaround to win the second T20I on Friday (April 23).

On Sunday (April 25), though, Babar Azam got back to scoring ways and so did Pakistan, as the skipper made a fine half-century on another bowler-friendly track in Harare. Babar’s measured innings of 52 helped Pakistan push towards 163/3, the highest team total of the short T20I series, and set up the decider.