Australia Tour of Pakistan Tests March 2022 (Benaud-Qadir Trophy Inaugural): Australia Win 1-0 (2 Draws) — Khawaja 496 Runs Player of Series (Pakistan-Born, First AUS Tour PAK in 24 Years), Babar 196 Highest 4th-Innings Captain Score, Imam Twin Hundreds, Lyon 5/83 Lahore

Australia won the inaugural Benaud-Qadir Trophy Test series in Pakistan in March 2022 by 1-0 (with 2 draws) — their first Test series win in Asia in 11 years, and their first Test tour of Pakistan in 24 years (since Mark Taylor's team visited in 1998). The trophy is named after Richie Benaud (Australian leg-spinner) and Abdul Qadir (Pakistan leg-spinner); it was unveiled by captains Pat Cummins and Babar Azam at Rawalpindi before the 1st Test. Usman Khawaja — born in Islamabad — was Player of the Series with 496 runs in a deeply personal homecoming. The series was played under COVID bio-secure bubble protocols. Cummins took 12 series wickets; Nathan Lyon took 12; Shaheen Afridi and Nauman Ali took 9 each for Pakistan. 1st Test Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (March 4-8, 2022): Match drawn — PAK 476/4d & 252/0; AUS 459. Azhar Ali scored 185 in Pakistan's 1st innings. Imam-ul-Haq scored 157 in the 1st innings and 111* in the 2nd innings — twin centuries across the match (Player of the Match). Abdullah Shafique scored 136* in Pakistan's 2nd innings; Imam and Shafique put on an unbroken 252-run opening partnership in the 2nd innings, ending the match. Khawaja scored 97 (falling short of a century); Labuschagne scored 90; Smith scored 78 in Australia's 459. 2nd Test National Stadium, Karachi (March 12-16, 2022): Match drawn — AUS 556/9d & 97/2d; PAK 148 & 443/7. Khawaja scored 160 in Australia's 1st innings — the first Australian to score a Test century in Pakistan since Mark Waugh's 117 in the 1998 series. Alex Carey scored 93. Pakistan were bowled out for 148 in their 1st innings (following on 408 behind). Babar Azam scored 196 in Pakistan's 2nd innings (on 425 balls, 21 fours, 1 six) — the highest 4th-innings score by a Test captain in history at that time; Mohammad Rizwan scored 104*. Pakistan batted 171.4 overs in the 4th innings to save the match. Player of the Match: Babar Azam. 3rd Test Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore (March 21-25, 2022): Australia won by 115 runs — AUS 391 & 227/3d; PAK 268 & 235. Khawaja scored 91 in the 1st innings and 104* in Australia's 2nd-innings declaration. Nathan Lyon took 5/83 in Pakistan's 2nd innings; Cummins took 3/23. Pakistan were bowled out for 235 chasing 351. It was only Pakistan's second loss in 13 Tests at the Gaddafi Stadium, and their first there since 2002. Player of the Match: Khawaja (for twin contributions).

Babar's 196 and Pakistan's 171-Over Rearguard in Karachi

Babar Azam's 196 at Karachi — made in Pakistan's 4th innings when they had already conceded a 408-run first-innings deficit and been bowled out for 148 — was one of the great captain's innings of the modern era. At the time, it was the highest score in a 4th innings by a Test captain in history. His stand with Rizwan (104*) — which took Pakistan from survival mode to a credible draw — lasted long enough that Pakistan faced 171.4 overs in the 4th innings to save the match. Australia, with a lead of 408 after their declaration of 97/2d and a 1st-innings score of 556/9d, were unable to take the 10 wickets needed for victory. Lyon and Cummins bowled 70+ overs in the 4th innings combined without breaking through. Babar's 196, combined with Imam's twin hundreds in Rawalpindi and Shafique's unbeaten 136* there, meant Pakistan's batting performances in the first two Tests were exceptional — but they were ultimately unable to prevent the loss in Lahore.

Khawaja's Homecoming: 496 Runs in His Birth Country

Usman Khawaja had been born in Islamabad, Pakistan, before emigrating to Australia as a child, and the 2022 tour was his first time playing Test cricket in his country of birth. His 496 series runs — including 97 (Rawalpindi), 160 (Karachi), 91 and 104* (Lahore) — made him the series' dominant batsman and the first Australian to score a Test century in Pakistan since Mark Waugh's 117 in 1998. The emotional dimension of his return — acknowledged by Khawaja publicly throughout the tour — added a layer of narrative to a series that was itself historically significant: Australia's first visit for Test cricket in 24 years, after years in which security concerns had prevented bilateral Test cricket in Pakistan following the 2009 Lahore attack. Khawaja's century in Lahore — scored as an unbeaten declaration knock — was part of the win that gave Australia their first Asia series win since Sri Lanka in 2011.