Babar Azam Equals Kohli's Feat; Player List As No. 1 ODI Batter In Most Calendar Years

Babar Azam and Virat Kohli - (Source:@Johns/X.com)

On Wednesday, December 25, the ICC updated their weekly rankings, where Pakistan star batter Saim Ayub, who struck twin centuries, jumped a massive 113 spots in the all-rounder's category to now rank joint-42nd. He also climbed 43 places to rank 58th in the batters rankings. 

Meanwhile, his teammate and former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, who found some confidence back with two fifty-plus scores, remained at the top spot and will end 2024 as the No.1 ODI batter in the world. It was the last ICC ranking update for 2024 and it is worth noting that Babar has been the No. 1 ranked ODI batter for four years now. 

He first became the No. 1 ranked batter in 2021 and has held that position for the last four years. Only, Greg Chappell, Viv Richards, and Brian Lara have held more calendar years as World No.1. Meanwhile, this article will talk about the list of players, who have held the No.1 rank in ODIs for most calendar years. 

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Babar Finishes 2024 With Good Average In ODIs

Babar has struggled in T20Is in 2024 and also in Tests, resulting in his ouster from the Test series. Meanwhile, he has done well in the fifty-over format and looks in great touch. 

Notably, he has amassed 228 runs in six innings, averaging 57. Here is Babar's performance in every calendar year since becoming No.1 ODI batter.

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