Islamabad(The COW News Digital)Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has set a new milestone in T20 cricket, becoming the highest run-scorer in the format, surpassing India’s Rohit Sharma. This achievement came during Pakistan’s second T20 match against South Africa in Lahore, where the national team defeated the visitors by nine wickets to level the three-match series 1-1.
At the Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan successfully chased down South Africa’s target of 111 runs in the 14th over, reaching 112 with ease. Young opener Saif Ayub played a spectacular innings, scoring an unbeaten 71 off 38 balls, including six fours and five sixes. The bowling department was equally impressive, with Salman Mirza taking 3 wickets for just 14 runs in his four-over spell, while Faheem Ashraf claimed four wickets, making a significant impact on the match outcome. Mirza was awarded the Player of the Match for his outstanding bowling performance.
Babar Azam faced 18 balls and scored 11 runs with a boundary, yet this was enough to break Rohit Sharma’s record for the most T20 international runs. Babar has now accumulated 4,234 runs in T20 cricket across 130 matches and 123 innings, maintaining an average of 39.57. His T20 career includes three centuries and 36 half-centuries, with an impressive strike rate of 128.77.
Previously, Rohit Sharma had scored 4,231 runs in 159 matches and 151 innings, averaging 32.05, and held the record for the most centuries in T20 internationals. Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli, who has 4,188 runs in 117 innings with an average of 48.69, and England’s experienced batter Jos Buttler, with 3,869 runs in 132 innings, rank just behind the top. Ireland’s Paul Stirling and New Zealand’s Martin Guptill occupy the fifth and sixth positions, respectively, with 3,710 and 3,531 runs.
Among current Pakistani players, Mohammad Rizwan ranks sixth on the all-time T20 run-scorers list, amassing 3,414 runs in 106 matches and 93 innings, with an average of 47.41 and a strike rate of 125.37.
Babar Azam’s record-breaking achievement reflects his consistency, skill, and dominance in modern T20 cricket. Cricket analysts hail this as a landmark moment for Pakistan cricket, highlighting Babar’s rise as one of the world’s premier T20 batsmen. His ability to perform under pressure and maintain remarkable averages across matches cements his status among the global elite of the format.
