Babar Azam scored an unbeaten century to script history as Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in the second ODI at Rawalpindi, with Babar registering his 20th ODI hundred and rewriting the record books on home
soil.
Babar Azam finished unbeaten on 102 from 119 deliveries, steering Pakistan to a successful chase of Sri Lanka's 288-8 with 10 balls to spare. With this knock, Babar not only anchored the chase alongside Fakhar Zaman (78) and Mohammad Rizwan (51*) but also ended his 33-innings ODI century drought in spectacular fashion, reaching his landmark in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
Fastest to 20 ODI Centuries - Babar in Elite Company
Babar Azam's latest innings brought him to the historic milestone of 20 ODI hundreds in just his 136th innings - making him the third-fastest to the landmark in ODI history. Only South Africa's Hashim Amla (108 innings) and India's Virat Kohli (133 innings) have reached 20 ODI hundreds in fewer innings than Babar. The Pakistani star thus joins a prestigious list alongside the likes of David Warner (142), Quinton de Kock (150), and AB de Villiers (175).
Babar Azam creates Record for Pakistan
This century was Babar's eighth in ODIs on Pakistani soil, making him the all-time leader for most home ODI hundreds by a Pakistan batter. He surpassed Mohammad Yousuf's previous record of seven home tons.
"I wanted to believe in myself and my hard work. I was getting off to good starts, I wasn't able to live up to the expectations. I was getting out at wrong times. I was just trying my best. It's an honour to get past all the records of all legends," Babar said at the post-match presentation.
Pakistan also recorded their fourth consecutive ODI series win over Sri Lanka. The final match of the series will be played on Sunday (November 16).
