Babar Azam First To Score 9000 Runs In 2020s, No Indian In Top-5

Pakistan superstar Babar Azam became the first batter to cross 9,000 international runs in the 2020s decade on Sunday (May 17). The right-handed batter reached the milestone after scoring 68 (84) in the second innings of the second Pakistan-Bangladesh Test in Sylhet.

He beat Joe Root to the number, though Root has played almost half of Babar’s matches, because the Englishman hardly plays ODIs and T20Is. Babar averages 42.53 this decade, with 17 centuries and a whopping 67 half-centuries to his name already.

His form has significantly dipped in the second half of the 2020s so far, but records like these show how important he still is to the country.

Most runs in international cricket this decade:

Player	Country	Matches	Innings	Runs	Highest	Average	100s	50s
Babar Azam	Pakistan	212	231	9060	196	42.53	17	67
Joe Root	England	120	177	8305	262	51.90	28	33
Mohammad Rizwan	Pakistan	199	210	7779	171*	45.75	6	58
Kusal Mendis	Sri Lanka	194	215	7046	245	35.94	9	46
Pathum Nissanka	Sri Lanka	186	198	6873	210*	36.95	13	44
Virat Kohli	India	158	182	6771	186	42.31	15	45
Litton Das	Bangladesh	201	224	6763	176	32.05	10	39
Shubman Gill	India	135	168	6649	269	44.92	19	28
Daryl Mitchell	New Zealand	188	189	6574	190	41.34	14	34
Rohit Sharma	India	151	178	6391	161	38.73	12	39

Is Pakistan suffering from a mental block? Babar Azam responds

Bangladesh scored 278 in the first innings, before Pakistan suffered another collapse to concede

a 46-run lead. The hosts were in a comfortable position at 110/3 at Stumps on Day 2.

Speaking after the play, Babar rejected the idea that the side’s struggling Test batting line-up was suffering from a psychological block, even after a string of disappointing performances in the longest format.  Instead, he said the team’s biggest problem has been an inability to build substantial partnerships at crucial moments.

“We had small partnerships but in Test cricket you need bigger stands,” Babar said, adding that the side repeatedly loses wickets in clusters and struggles to recover afterward. “As a batting unit, we have to take responsibility and play with more patience.”

The former captain also revealed that players and coaches have been holding discussions to understand why collapses continue to occur under pressure. Despite praise for Bangladesh speedster Nahid Rana, who has dismissed him three times in Tests, Babar dismissed claims that the young pacer is ‘unplayable,’ calling him ‘very talented’ with ‘outstanding’ pace and improving control.