Babar Azam Career Explained: Pakistan's World No.1 Batsman and Captain
Who Babar Azam is — Pakistan's batsman ranked world No.1 in ODIs and T20Is simultaneously (2021, the first to do so), his technical batting style (compared to Virat Kohli), captaincy history and controversies, and why he is considered Pakistan's most complete modern batsman.
Babar Azam (born 1994, Lahore) is Pakistan's most prominent batsman of the 2020s — holding world rankings No.1 simultaneously in ODIs and T20Is in 2021 (the first batsman ever to be simultaneously top-ranked across both limited-overs formats). His captaincy story has been turbulent: he resigned from all formats after Pakistan's 2024 T20 WC group-stage exit, before returning as Pakistan's Test captain in mid-2026. His batting: technically orthodox, with exceptional timing on the off-side, minimal backlift, and a high elbow position — a style that coaches and analysts consistently compare to Virat Kohli's technique (both favour the off-drive and square cut as primary weapons).
The Technique: Pakistan's Most Technically Pure Batsman
Babar Azam's batting mechanics: (1) Elbow position — Babar keeps a high left elbow through his off-side drives, creating bat-face alignment that produces clean timing without excessive force; the high elbow is the defining technical element shared with Kohli; (2) Backlift — Babar's backlift is compact and straight (toward second slip, not toward gully) — this creates a straight downswing and minimal deviation from line, producing shots that go where he aims them; (3) Footwork — excellent use of front foot to the ball's pitch, allowing him to drive balls that are slightly short of a good length that other batsmen would block; (4) Off-drive — universally cited as his best shot; the degree to which his off-drive timing is 'clean' (bat-meets-ball at full extension through impact) is comparable to the best off-drives in cricket history. Babar's ODI record: 9,000+ ODI runs at 57.0 — among the highest career ODI averages of any active batsman.
Captaincy History and 2024 Controversies
Babar's captaincy record is more complicated than his batting record: Pakistan underperformed in the 2023 ODI World Cup (group-stage exit) under his captaincy — their worst World Cup result in decades. He resigned the Test captaincy after the 2023 World Cup (November 2023); Shan Masood became Test captain. Babar returned to limited-overs captaincy for the 2024 T20 World Cup (West Indies and USA, June 2024) — but Pakistan suffered another group-stage exit, failing to qualify for the Super 8s. India won the 2024 T20 WC, defeating South Africa in the final. After Pakistan's 2024 T20 WC group-stage elimination, Babar resigned from all formats' captaincy — Shan Masood continued as Test captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi took ODI captaincy, and Salman Ali Agha became T20I captain. Babar later returned as Pakistan's Test captain in mid-2026 for the West Indies and England tours.
Test Captaincy Challenges
Babar's Test captaincy (2019-2023): Pakistan won 12, drew 6, lost 8 under his captaincy — a positive win rate against their historical benchmark. However, specific series losses (vs Australia 2022 at home, vs England 2022 — England won 3-0 in Pakistan for the first time in 22 years) created pressure on his captaincy. The 2022 Pakistan-England Test series loss was particularly significant: England's Bazball approach (aggressive batting from ball 1) exposed Pakistan's bowling as insufficiently varied — Pakistan's spin-heavy attack struggled to contain England's aggressive hitting. Babar resigned the Test captaincy after the 2023 World Cup; Shan Masood became Test captain. Babar retained ODI and T20I captaincy, but Pakistan suffered a group-stage exit at the 2024 T20 World Cup — their worst result in the tournament's history — after which he resigned from limited-overs captaincy, creating a leadership vacuum that was part of Pakistan cricket's turbulent 2024 period.
Frequently asked questions
What is Babar Azam's highest ODI score?
Babar Azam's highest ODI score is 158 vs Zimbabwe (Rawalpindi, October 2021) — his only ODI 150+ score. His career ODI hundreds: 19 centuries (through 2024), making him Pakistan's highest century-scorer in ODI cricket (surpassing Saeed Anwar's 20 centuries — now equalled by Babar). His ODI average: 57.0+ — one of the highest ODI career averages among players with 5,000+ runs. He has also scored 9 Test centuries and 12 T20I fifties (with fewer T20I centuries, which is typical for batsmen who prioritise consistency over big swings in T20s).
How did Pakistan perform at the 2024 T20 World Cup?
Pakistan failed to qualify for the Super 8s at the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup (co-hosted by West Indies and USA, June 2024) — a group-stage exit that was their worst T20 World Cup result. India won the tournament, defeating South Africa by 7 runs in the Barbados final. Babar Azam captained Pakistan in the group stage before resigning from limited-overs captaincy following the elimination. Pakistan's only T20 World Cup win remains 2009 (under Younis Khan's captaincy).
How does Babar Azam compare to Virat Kohli?
Technical comparison: both right-handed, orthodox batsmen with dominant off-drives and high elbows; both averaged 57-60 in ODIs. Statistics: Kohli has more ODI runs (13,000+ vs Babar's 9,000+) but Babar has a comparable average at a younger age. Test records: Kohli has scored Test centuries in all 9 major Test nations visited; Babar's Test record is slightly lower in difficult overseas conditions. The 'Babar vs Kohli' debate is cricket's most argued batting comparison of the 2020s — neutral analysts typically rank Kohli's overall career above Babar's based on Test record and volume, while acknowledging Babar's limited-overs statistics are directly comparable.