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On Sunday, Pakistan captain Babar Azam added another feather to his illustrious cap as he became the fastest batsman to complete 2000 runs in T20 Internationals. The 26-year-old accomplished the milestone in the third and final T20I against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club.
Babar has taken only 52 innings to score 2000 T20I runs, and with that, he has surpassed his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli, who had achieved the similar feat from 56 innings. Australian skipper Aaron Finch had taken 62 innings to reach the landmark, while former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum had achieved the feat after 66 innings.
Fastest to 2000 T20I runs:
- 52 innings – Babar Azam*
- 56 innings – Virat Kohli
- 62 innings – Aaron Finch
- 66 innings – Brendon McCullum
- 68 innings – Martin Guptill
Just a few days ago, Babar had leapfrogged Kohli to become the number 1 ODI batsmen. The Lahore-born, who was the second-highest run-scorer in the recently concluded South Africa series with 228 runs, has 865 points in the rankings. He is followed by Kohli (857) and his deputy Rohit Sharma (825).
Pakistan clinch the T20I series 2-1
Meanwhile, in the third T20I, Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe by 24 runs to seal the three-match series 2-1. After opting to bat first, the visitors posted 165/3 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to magnificent Mohammad Rizwan, who scored a scintillating half-century.
Rizwan smashed unbeaten 91 runs from 60 deliveries, including five fours and three sixes, at an impressive strike rate of 151.67. Apart from the wicketkeeper-batsman, captain Babar also shined with the bat. He scored 52 off 46 balls with the help of five boundaries.
Luke Jongwe, who bagged the ‘Player of the Match’ in the previous encounter, once again showed his best performance with the ball. The right-armer picked up three wickets for 37 in his quota of 4 overs.
In reply, Zimbabwe could only manage to reach 141/7 in their stipulated 20 overs, losing the game by 24 runs. Opener Wesley Madhevere played like a lone warrior, scoring 59 runs off 47 balls, including seven boundaries.
For the tourists, Hasan Ali was the pick of the bowler. He bagged a four-wicket haul for just 18 runs in his quota of 4 overs. Apart from Hasan, Haris Rauf earned two scalps for 34 runs.
