Pakistan's star batsman Babar Azam has achieved a huge milestone in international cricket and has joined legendary Indian batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in this elite list. It is a huge achievement for Babar, who is seen as one of the best batsmen Pakistan has ever produced.
Babar achieved this feat during the first Test of the series between South Africa and Pakistan at Centurion. He came to bat at No. 3 instead of his usual slot at No. 4 in Test cricket.
Babar Azam becomes the third player to reach this milestone
During the match, Babar Azam completed 4000 runs in Test cricket. He achieved this feat in the first ball of the match. Babar came into bat after the fall of Pakistan captain Shan Masood.
4️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ Running tests ✅@babarazam258 is only the third player to score over 4,000 runs in all three formats of the game! 🤩👏#SAvPAK pic.twitter.com/QNu4jY27E8
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 26, 2024
He got a light loosener on the pads first which he comfortably flicked past square leg for a four. It was a gift for the former Pakistan captain and he made full use of it by putting the ball away from the boundary.
Babar became only the third player in the history of the game to score over 4000 runs in all formats – Tests, ODIs and T20Is. India's Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are the only other players to have reached this milestone before.
Babar Azam has already scored 4223 runs in T20Is and almost 6000 runs in ODI cricket. After completing 4000 runs in Tests, he has now joined the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the elite list.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli the other two players
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are the first two players to score more than 4000 runs in all formats of the game. Both are still active players in Tests and ODIs but retired from the T20I format after the conclusion of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Kohli has scored over 9000 runs in Tests and almost 14000 runs in ODIs. He finished with 4188 runs in T20Is at an average of 48.69. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has almost 11000 runs in ODIs and has scored 4289 runs in Tests. The Indian skipper finished as the highest run scorer in T20Is at the time of his retirement with 4231 runs to his name.
Babar Azam dismissed cheaply
Meanwhile, Babar Azam might have put in a huge performance but it wasn't a great day for him with the bat. After hitting a boundary in his first ball, he could not add more runs to his tally and was run out a few balls later.
The 30-year-old was dismissed for just 4 off 11 balls after playing a loose drive away from his body. Babar pushed to a wide delivery going away and got an outside edge. The ball went to Aiden Markram at slip, who took a snap.
Babar was absolutely disappointed with his shot selection. It was an indecisive push on his part as he was caught in two minds. His wicket meant his poor form continued in Test cricket. This was his comeback game after being dropped from the home Test series against England.