Pakistan cricket made history as Babar Azam finally broke the century jinx, hitting a magnificent unbeaten 102 against Sri Lanka in the second ODI at Rawalpindi. This was not only a great inning that assisted Pakistan in winning the three-match series with a game in hand but it also offered another feather to the bright career of Babar Azam.
It took Babar Azam 807 days and 83 tries to finally discover the form that the fans were awaiting. The batting style of Babar was traditional and graceful so it is not surprising that he demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the best batsmen in his generation. His reserved and analytical performance in the field silenced critics and convinced fans that he has not yet reached his peak in cricket.
Babar Azam hit his 20 th ODI century with this century, becoming the first official holder of the record of most ODI centuries by a Pakistani. Marvellously, Babar accomplished this feat in only 136 innings, which is much faster than Saeed Anwar, who took 244 innings to achieve the same feat.
This feat not only makes Babar Azam a legend in the history of Pakistan cricket but also shows his consistency as well as his class, in spite of his recent failure in international cricket.
Most ODI Hundreds for Pakistan
Here is a comparison of Pakistan’s top ODI century-makers:
| Player | Matches | Innings | Hundreds | Average |
| Babar Azam | 139 | 136 | 20 | 53.89 |
| Saeed Anwar | 247 | 244 | 20 | 39.21 |
| Mohammad Yousuf | 281 | 267 | 15 | 42.08 |
| Fakhar Zaman | 91 | 90 | 11 | 45.30 |
| Mohammad Hafeez | 218 | 216 | 11 | 32.90 |
The century of Babar Azam is classical, not merely record-breaking, but it is a sign that a revival of form must have happened at just the right time. It is the beginning of a new dawn to the Pakistan fans and not a stop to a wait. Babar is 31 years of age and he has two good years to live before his age and he can even be more successful in the following matches than Saeed Anwar himself.
All the pressure is gone now as the series is already won and Babar can play freely and motivate a new generation of young cricketers and also cement the Pakistani batting line.
Babar Azam had made a personal score of 102 in Rawalpindi; this was a personal score, but also a historical score in the history of Pakistani cricketing world.
Babar has tied legendary Saeed Anwar in the ODI centuries proving once again why the man is one of the most stable and trusted batsmen of the modern era.
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