Babar Azam achieves another milestone

Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam has clinched another record during ongoing Champions One Day Cup being played at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium.

The Pakistani skipper in white-ball format has registered 30 List-A centuries, highest by any Pakistani cricketer in in 50-over domestic matches.

Azam’s brilliant 104-run knock guided Allied Bank Stallions to a convincing victory over Dolphins in the Champions One-Day Cup.

The 29-year-old’s unbeaten century came off 100 balls including seven fours and three sixes.

🌟 Babar Azam is the Player of the Match 🌟 #DiscoveringChampions #BahriaTownChampionsCup #AlliedBankStallionsvEngroDolphins pic.twitter.com/ecP6r5QMt6

— Bahria Town Champions Cup (@championscuppcb) September 19, 2024

This achievement marked a major relief for Azam, who had been experiencing a recent slump in form. His previous half-century in Test matches dated back several months, and his performances in the last two ICC Cricket World Cups were also below par.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) acknowledged Azam’s milestone in a statement: “Babar Azam smashed his 30th List-A century, becoming the first Pakistan batter to register 30 or more List-A centuries.”

Babar Azam cruises to his 100 between a sea of cheering fans!#DiscoveringChampions #BahriaTownChampionsCup #AlliedBankStallionsvEngroDolphins pic.twitter.com/f8ovXwabUU

— Bahria Town Champions Cup (@championscuppcb) September 19, 2024

Azam’s record-breaking century surpassed Khurram Manzoor’s 27 centuries and legendary Saeed Anwar’s 26 centuries.

The Dolphins, unable to chase down the 272-run target set by Stallions, were bowled out for a paltry 97 in 25 overs.

Mehran Mumtaz and Jahandad Khan claimed three wickets each for the Stallions, while Yasir Khan, Shan Masood, and Tayyab Tahir also made significant contributions to Stallions’ total. Hussain Talat and Haris Rauf formed a crucial partnership to strengthen the Stallions’ position.

With this victory, Stallions secured their place in the playoff stage, joining UMT Markhors and Lake City Panthers. The Dolphins, on the other hand, suffered their third consecutive defeat and are now battling for the fourth playoff spot.