Babar Azam: Pakistan's Modern Run Machine

Babar Azam is Pakistan's most important modern batter. He has been ranked No. 1 in ODI batting, No. 1 in T20I batting, and No. 1 in Test batting — simultaneously — a feat achieved by very few players in history. His technically correct, elegant batting style is compared to the great Pakistani batters of the 1990s.

Career statistics

Style of batting

Babar's batting is notable for its classical elegance. He plays straight, drives cleanly through the off side, and rarely gives away his wicket cheaply. Comparisons with Virat Kohli are frequent — both are middle-order anchors who score quickly but sedately. Babar is considered a more 'textbook' technician; Kohli a more aggressive match-winner.

2022 T20 World Cup final

Pakistan reached the 2022 T20 World Cup final in Australia under Babar's captaincy — their first T20 WC final since 2007. Pakistan lost to England by 5 wickets. Babar's own batting in the tournament was modest — Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan were Pakistan's decisive performers.

Captaincy

Babar was appointed Pakistan captain across all formats in 2021. He stepped down from T20I captaincy in 2023 following a World Cup campaign where Pakistan failed to qualify from the group stage. He retained ODI and Test captaincy. His captaincy tactics have been questioned but his value as a player is never in doubt.

Global franchise cricket

Babar is one of the most sought-after batters in franchise T20 cricket — IPL, PSL, The Hundred, and BBL have all sought his services. PCB restrictions on Pakistan players' overseas availability have limited how much franchise cricket he plays, but his PSL record for Karachi Kings has been exceptional.