Follow UsBabar Azam returned to Pakistan's T20 International (T20I) side for the series against South Africa for the first time since December 2024. He did not get off to the best of starts as he was dismissed for a two-ball duck in the first game.
But, in the second game, the right-hander slammed an unbeaten 11 to become the all-time highest run-getter in T20Is, and in the series decider on November 1 (Saturday) in Lahore, the 31-year-old smashed a match-winning 68 off 47 to redeem himself. By doing so, Babar hit his 40th score in excess of 50 in T20I cricket, beating greats like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to the landmark.
Babar Azam 40
Virat Kohli 39
Rohit Sharma 37
Mohammad Rizwan 31
Jos Buttler 29
Babar has 37 fifties and three centuries in the format with a highest score of 122. His previous half-century in the format came against Ireland in 2024.
The former Pakistan captain has not been in Pakistan's plans in T20Is of late, and his side missed his experience in the recent Asia Cup, where they lost three times against India, including the final. Overall, he has 4,302 runs in 131 T20Is at an average of nearly 40 and a strike rate of 128.99.