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Asia Cup 2023 | Babar Azam Races Past Virat Kohli, Warner With Scintillating 151

image-llxtciavBabar Azam in action against Nepal in Asia Cup 2023 (PCB)

Babar Azam slapped a counterattacking 151 against Nepal to rejuvenate Pakistan's innings after their early jitters in the opening Asia Cup 2023 game. The ‘Men in Green’ number three faced 131 deliveries in the process and dispatched 13 of them for boundaries and four of them for massive sixes at the Multan Cricket Ground.

With his latest century, Babar Azam registered a number of major ODI records to his name, displacing batting legends Virat Kohli, Hashim Amla, and David Warner in an elite list.

Babar Azam becomes quickest to 19 ODI tons

Babar Azam celebrated the launch of Asia Cup 2023 at home with a scintillating century against Nepal after his side had slumped to 25-2 in 6.1 overs. The cricketer formed an aggressive rebellion through his 214-run partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed, as Pakistan ended up mounting 342-6 on the board.

Through the course of his Multan run-riot, Babar Azam achieved a number of ODI batting records. For starters, he became the quickest batsman in the world to get to 19 ODI centuries, getting his two innings quicker than former South African cricketer Hashim Amla. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli and David Warner both dropped a rung in the list to be placed as the third and fourth quickest to the milestone, respectively.

Fastest to 19 ODI centuries in terms of innings:

Player
Innings
Babar Azam102
Hashim Amla104
Virat Kohli124
David Warner 139

Babar Azam also equaled Virat Kohli, and former openers Aaron Finch and Andrew Strauss for another ODI record. His 151 marked his second 150-plus score in the format as captain, which clubs him together with the other three celebrated batters as ODI skippers of their respective teams.

The Pakistani batting legend did fall behind Virat Kohli for one particular record. His effort against Nepal fell short of the Indian cricketer’s 183-run epic from 2012, thus placing Babar’s knock as the second-highest individual score in an ODI Asia Cup match.

The current Pakistani skipper is also not far behind a national record for his country, as his 19th ODI century took him closer to Saeed Anwar’s overall tally of 20 tons in the format. By the time of his retirement, Anwar had finished as Pakistan’s leading century-maker in ODI cricket. Babar Azam is on the verge of equaling the feat in just a little over 100 matches, as opposed to Anwar’s 247 outings.