Babar Azam & Roston Chase (L) and Waqar Younis (Source: AFP Photos)
Two of Pakistan’s very best in their respective departments from different generations, Babar Azam and Waqar Younis, saw themselves in the same record on Wednesday in the list of most Player of the Series awards for Pakistan.
With 193 runs across four innings and dismissed on just two occasions, Babar won the award for the best player of the tour after the conclusion of the two-match Test series between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
From either side, he had the best average (96.5) in Pakistan vs West Indies Tests, and his strike rate (59.94) too was the best among those who had scored 100 or more runs. Therefore, there was no doubt that he was fittingly adjudged the Player of the Series.
Babar Azam Joins Wasim Akram, Imran Khan After Pipping Waqar Younis
After the latest achievement, Babar Azam now has 10 Player of the Series awards for Pakistan across formats. Waqar Younis had a number fewer than him while claiming this individual award, and so did Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez.
Earlier, Babar had nine Player of the Series awards for Pakistan, the same number that Waqar Younis has. He has now joined Wasim Akram and Imran Khan, who won the prestigious awards for the country for a record 10 times each.
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Most Player Of The Series Awards For Pakistan Across Formats
- 10 – Wasim Akram, Imran Khan, Babar Azam
- 9 – Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Waqar Younis
- 8 – Shoaib Malik
Babar Helps Pakistan To Win First Away Test In 3 Years
More significantly, this was Babar Azam’s first assignment after making his return as Pakistan captain. And despite the fact that they failed to do much in the first Test at Brian Lara Stadium, they shut the critics up in the second Test after making a few questionable decisions.
With that, Babar broke the deadlock for Pakistan, who failed to win a single Test match away from home since defeating Sri Lanka in Colombo way back in July 2023. Babar himself remained not out on 24 to get his team past the finishing line.
In addition, this was Babar’s ninth Test win as Pakistan captain in 12 attempts. Only Misbah-ul-Haq has more Test wins away from home for the country as captain, although he took 32 matches for his record-number of 13 Test victories.
Pakistan To Fly To England Next
Babar will soon travel to England for his next assignment, where Pakistan will play three Tests under his leadership. The three-match Test series between Pakistan and England will get underway on August 19 at Headingley, Leeds.
After that, the second and third Tests between the two sides will be held at Lord’s and Edgbaston respectively.
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