Babar Azam and Imran Khan - (Source: AFP/X)
On Sunday, August 2, Pakistan and West Indies are squaring off for the 2nd and final Test of the series. It is a do-or-die match for the Babar Azam-led side because they suffered an embarrassing defeat in the opening match.
For the unversed, Pakistan suffered a 90-run defeat, and West Indies are just a win away from winning their first Test series against Pakistan since 2000. The ongoing Test is also important for Babar Azam because he was appointed the Test captain for the 2nd time in his career.
Babar Azam To Join Imran Khan, Misbah Ul-Haq
After the toss in the 2nd Test, Babar Azam has already entered the history books and become the 3rd Pakistan player to lead the nation in 150 and more matches. Only Imran Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq have captained more matches than him.
Imran, who led Pakistan to the 1992 ODI World Cup title, has captained Pakistan in 187 matches between 1982 and 1992. During his tenure, he led Pakistan to the 1992 ODI World Cup, their only fifty-over title in the history of the sport.
Also Read: Shaheen Afridi Exits LPL 2026 Mid-Tournament After Alleging Match-Fixing
Misbah Ul-Haq has captained Pakistan in 151 matches from 2008 to 2017. He failed to lead Pakistan to any major title, but took them to the No. 1 spot in Tests.
Babar Azam, on the other hand, has led Pakistan in 150 matches - 85 T20Is, 43 ODIs and 21 Test matches so far.
Most Matches as Pakistan Captain
- 187 - Imran Khan
- 151 - Misbah ul haq
- 150 - 𝖡𝖺𝖻𝖺𝗋 𝖠𝗓𝖺𝗆*
- 134 - Wasim Akram
How Has Babar Azam Performed As A Captain?
Out of the 149 matches, Babar Azam has guided Pakistan to victory in 84 matches, with a winning percentage of 56.37%. Babar first took the reins back in 2019.
Under his leadership, Pakistan saw a few highs, such as the fact that he is the only Pakistan captain to beat India in a World Cup match. Other than that, he led the Men in Green to the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup but suffered a defeat against England.
At present, Babar’s goal is to do well in WTC cycle because Pakistan are placed 9th on the table, and the right-handed batter has been appointed as the captain to take his team out of the embarrassing situation.
Babar Azam Eyes Misbah Ul Haq’s run-scoring record
Besides the most appearances feat, Babar Azam is also looking to break Misbah-ul-Haq’s record for most runs by a Pakistan captain. Babar has scored 6,820 runs as Pakistan captain and needs 180 runs in the second Test against the West Indies to become only the second Pakistani to score 7,000 runs as captain.
Misbah holds the record with 7,392 runs in 189 innings across 151 matches as captain. Babar has a chance to break that record in the 2nd Test itself.
Also Read: Exclusive: Why BCB’s Tamim Iqbal Is Visiting India? Reason Revealed
