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Babar Azam is a Pakistani cricketer.[1] As of 13 February 2024[update], he has played 52 Tests, 117 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 109 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for Pakistan.[2] He has scored centuries (100 or more runs in an innings) on 31 occasions, scoring 9 centuries in Tests, 19 in ODIs, and 3 in T20Is.[2] In 2022, Babar Azam became the Pakistan batter with the most runs — 2,598 — in all formats of the game in a calendar year.[3]
He has been named in the ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year on three occasions, captaining it in 2021 and in 2022.[4] In 2021 he also captained the ICC Men's T20I Team of the Year.[5] He was also captain of the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Team of the Tournament.[6]
Azam made his Test debut in October 2016,[2] and scored his first century two years later when he scored 127* against New Zealand at Dubai.[7] His highest Test score of 196 came against Australia in March 2022;[8] his innings included the highest-ever score by a captain in the fourth innings of a match and the second-longest innings by a batter in the fourth innings of a Test.[a][10][11] Azam has scored Test centuries against five different opponents at five grounds, including three at grounds outside Pakistan.[12]

Azam made his ODI debut in May 2015[2] and scored his first century in the format a year later in 2016, making 120 against the West Indies.[13] This was followed by scores of 123 and 117, making him the third Pakistani batsman and eighth batsman overall to score three consecutive ODI hundreds.[14] In 2022, he scored three consecutive ODI hundreds again, with two centuries against Australia and one against the West Indies, making him the first and so-far the only batter to do this on two occasions.[15] His highest ODI score of 158 was made against England in July 2021.[16] His ODI centuries, which were scored at thirteen venues, have come against seven different opponents.[17] He became the fastest batsman to complete 5,000 one-day international runs during the fourth match against New Zealand in Karachi.[18] In August 2023, he became the batsman to have scored the most runs after the first 100 ODI innings.[19]
He made his T20I debut in September 2016 and has scored three centuries in the format,[20] with the first one coming against South Africa at Centurion.[21] His second century came against England at Karachi in September 2022, making him the only Pakistani to score more than one T20I century.[22] His third century came on 15 April 2023 against New Zealand where he scored 101* on 58 balls, becoming the first player to score three T20I centuries as captain.[23]
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| * | Remained not out |
| † | Man of the match |
| ‡ | Captained the Pakistan cricket team |
| Pos. | Position in the batting order |
| Inn. | The innings of the match |
| Test | The number of the Test match played in that series |
| S/R | Strike rate during the innings |
| H/A/N | Venue was at home (Pakistan), away, or neutral |
| Date | Date the match was held, or the starting date of match for Test matches |
| Lost | The match was lost by Pakistan. |
| Won | The match was won by Pakistan. |
| Drawn | The match was drawn. |
| (D/L) | The result was determined by the Duckworth–Lewis method. |
| No. | Score | Against | Pos. | Inn. | Test | Venue | H/A/N | Date | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 127* | 6 | 1 | 2/3 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | Neutral | 24 November 2018 | Won | [25] | |
| 2 | 104 | 5 | 3 | 1/2 | The Gabba, Brisbane | Away | 21 November 2019 | Lost | [26] | |
| 3 | 102* | 4 | 2 | 1/2 | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi | Home | 11 December 2019 | Drawn | [27] | |
| 4 | 100* | 4 | 3 | 2/2 | National Stadium, Karachi | Home | 19 December 2019 | Won | [28] | |
| 5 | 143 | 4 | 2 | 1/2 | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi | Home | 7 February 2020 | Won | [29] | |
| 6 | 196 † ‡ | 4 | 4 | 2/3 | National Stadium, Karachi | Home | 12 March 2022 | Drawn | [30] | |
| 7 | 119 ‡ | 4 | 1 | 1/2 | Galle International Stadium, Galle | Away | 16 July 2022 | Won | [31] | |
| 8 | 136 ‡ | 4 | 2 | 1/3 | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi | Home | 1 December 2022 | Lost | [32] | |
| 9 | 161 ‡ | 4 | 1 | 1/2 | National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi | Home | 26 December 2022 | Drawn | [33] |
| No. | Score | Against | Pos. | Inn. | S/R | Venue | H/A/N | Date | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 120 † | 3 | 1 | 91.60 | Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah | Neutral | 30 September 2016 | Won (D/L) | [35] | |
| 2 | 123 † | 3 | 1 | 97.62 | Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah | Neutral | 2 October 2016 | Won | [36] | |
| 3 | 117 † | 3 | 1 | 110.38 | Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi | Neutral | 5 October 2016 | Won | [37] | |
| 4 | 100 | 3 | 2 | 91.74 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Away | 26 January 2017 | Lost | [38] | |
| 5 | 125* † | 3 | 1 | 94.70 | Providence Stadium, Providence | Away | 9 April 2017 | Won | [39] | |
| 6 | 103 | 3 | 1 | 78.63 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | Neutral | 13 October 2017 | Won | [40] | |
| 7 | 101 | 3 | 1 | 75.94 | Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi | Neutral | 16 October 2017 | Won | [41] | |
| 8 | 106* † | 3 | 1 | 139.47 | Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo | Away | 22 July 2018 | Won | [42] | |
| 9 | 115 | 3 | 1 | 102.68 | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | Away | 17 May 2019 | Lost | [43] | |
| 10 | 101* † | 3 | 2 | 80.16 | Edgbaston, Birmingham | Neutral | 26 June 2019 | Won | [44] | |
| 11 | 115 | 3 | 1 | 109.52 | National Stadium, Karachi | Home | 30 September 2019 | Won | [45] | |
| 12 | 125 ‡ | 3 | 2 | 100.00 | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi | Home | 3 November 2020 | Tied | [46] | |
| 13 | 103 † ‡ | 3 | 2 | 99.03 | Centurion, Centurion | Away | 2 April 2021 | Won | [47] | |
| 14 | 158 ‡ | 3 | 1 | 113.66 | Edgbaston, Birmingham | Away | 13 July 2021 | Lost | [48] | |
| 15 | 114 † ‡ | 3 | 2 | 137.34 | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | Home | 31 March 2022 | Won | [49] | |
| 16 | 105* † ‡ | 3 | 2 | 91.30 | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | Home | 2 April 2022 | Won | [50] | |
| 17 | 103 ‡ | 3 | 2 | 96.26 | Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan | Home | 8 June 2022 | Won | [51] | |
| 18 | 107 † ‡ | 3 | 1 | 91.45 | National Stadium, Karachi | Home | 5 May 2023 | Won | [52] | |
| 19 | 151 † ‡ | 3 | 1 | 115.27 | Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan | Home | 30 August 2023 | Won | [53] |
| No. | Score | Against | Pos. | Inn. | S/R | Venue | H/A/N | Date | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 122 † ‡ | 1 | 2 | 206.77 | Centurion, Centurion | Away | 14 April 2021 | Won | [55] | |
| 2 | 110* † ‡ | 2 | 2 | 166.66 | National Stadium, Karachi | Home | 22 September 2022 | Won | [56] | |
| 3 | 101* † ‡ | 2 | 1 | 174.13 | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | Home | 15 April 2023 | Won | [57] |