Babar Azam Profile, Career & Stats

If someone gives dollar bills to a batsman for playing jaw-dropping cover drives, then Babar Azam would become a billionaire in no time. 

Pakistan’s modern-day genius, Babar, is a staggering batsman with a solid technique and an aggressive approach to the game. In the last couple of years, he has emerged as one of the best batsmen in world cricket and has been called Pakistan’s answer to Virat Kohli.

The right-handed batsman came into the limelight during the U-15 World Championship in 2008. He played the U-19 World Cup in the 2010 and 2012 editions and ended both tournaments as Pakistan’s leading run-scorer. 

After a successful 2010 Junior World Cup, the young batsman made his domestic debut for Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, before playing for the State Bank of Pakistan team, and then shifted to Central Punjab. 

The Lahore-born piled up thousands of runs in the domestic arena and was called a star even before making it into the international scene. 

In May 2015, the promising batsman was included in the squad for the ODI against Zimbabwe. It was a historic series, where international cricket returned to the country after the heartbreaking terror attack in 2009. Babar scored a half-century on debut and never looked back. 

He impressed everyone with two consecutive fifties against New Zealand Down Under. 

In 2016, he blasted three back-to-back hundreds against the West Indies, bringing the whole cricketing fraternity to awe of his ‘sheer class’. 

On the back of his brilliance in the ODIs, he was awarded both Test and T20I caps.

Babar made his T20I debut against England at Manchester in September 2016, and soon made his maiden Test debut in October against the West Indies at Dubai. 

After a fairy start, Babar got exposed in Australia during the 2016-17 series, but Mickey Arthur (then head coach) backed the future star for good.  

Babar was a part of Pakistan's squad that won the 2017 Champions Trophy. He had an under-par event as per his standards; however, the young batter played a fluent knock of 46 runs in the final against India. He backed his average outings at the ICC event with two centuries on a trot against Sri Lanka. 

In 2019, during the preparations for the World Cup, Babar was in astonishing form and played superbly against New Zealand, South Africa, and England. He had a great World Cup as well, where he scored 474 runs. 

Along with his accomplishments in the longer formats, Babar has stepped up in the T20I format and emerged as the best batter across the globe. In October 2018, he secured first place in the ICC’s T20I rankings. Soon, Babar was Pakistan’s captain in 2019, starting from the shortest format.

Babar guided Pakistan to a 2-1 ODI series victory and a 3-1 T20I triumph against South Africa. The skipper led from the front, delivering a match-winning century in the third ODI, a classy 103 off 104 balls, to seal the series. His consistency carried into the T20Is, where he played a stunning 122 off 59 balls—the highest individual T20I score by a Pakistani at the time—demolishing the Proteas' attack. 

His leadership and batting prowess continued to shine as he steered Pakistan to a dominant 2-0 Test series victory over Zimbabwe. His remarkable start as captain saw him become the first Pakistan skipper to win his first four Test matches, a feat that highlighted his growing influence in the longest format. Meanwhile, his exploits in T20Is were equally historic—he registered his maiden T20I century with a breathtaking 122 against South Africa and cemented his legacy by becoming the fastest batsman to reach 2,000 T20I runs in just 52 innings.

Stepping onto the grand stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Babar Azam embraced the responsibility of leading Pakistan with remarkable composure. As the team’s captain, he guided them to the semi-finals, orchestrating a near-flawless group-stage campaign, including a historic win over India. His batting was equally sensational—he amassed 303 runs in the tournament, the most by any player that year, while also setting a new record for most fifties (four) in a single T20 World Cup edition.

Facing a formidable Australian side on home soil, Azam delivered a masterclass in resilience and brilliance. In the second Test, he played a breathtaking knock of 196 in the fourth innings, setting a new record for the highest score by a captain in a fourth-innings chase. 

Babar’s dominance continued in the ODI series, where he shattered records by becoming the fastest Asian to reach 4,000 ODI runs (in 82 innings) and the quickest to 15 ODI centuries (in 83 innings). Under his leadership, Pakistan achieved a historic feat by securing their first ODI series win against Australia since 2002, further cementing Babar’s legacy as a leader and run-machine.

The Pakistan batter reached another milestone in his illustrious career as he stepped onto the field for his 100th T20I match, a testament to his consistency and dominance in the shortest format. He marked the occasion in style, smashing his third T20I century—an elegant 101 off 58 balls—becoming the first captain in history to register three T20I hundreds. 

His leadership record also hit new heights as he equalled the record for most T20I wins as captain (42), further solidifying his reputation as one of the finest leaders in the game. He became the fastest batter to reach 5,000 ODI runs, achieving the milestone in just 97 innings, surpassing some of the game’s greatest names. His brilliance with the bat continued as he notched up his 18th ODI century, setting yet another record as the quickest to reach this landmark. Adding to his growing legacy as a leader, he guided Pakistan to the No. 1 ODI team ranking for the first time in 33 years, a historic achievement that underscored his impact both as a captain and a match-winner.

After years of leading Pakistan across formats, Azam made the tough decision to step down as captain in November 2023, marking the end of an era. The resignation came in the aftermath of Pakistan’s disappointing campaign at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, where the team failed to progress beyond the group stage, drawing heavy criticism from fans and experts. 

Months after stepping down, Babar found himself back at the helm as he was reappointed Pakistan’s white-ball captain ahead of the T20 World Cup 2025. The decision came amid Pakistan’s search for stability in leadership following inconsistent performances under different captains. With his vast experience and proven track record, the PCB saw Babar as the ideal choice to lead the team into a crucial ICC event. 

In October 2024, Babar again announced his resignation as Pakistan's white-ball captain for the second time in less than a year to aim to reduce his workload and concentrate on his batting performance. His decision followed Pakistan's early exit from the T20 World Cup in June 2024, where the team failed to progress beyond the group stage.