Babar Azam leapfrogs Kohli, Richards to become the fastest to reach 4K ODI runs

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam added another feather to his illustrious cap as he became the fastest Asian batsman to hit 4,000 ODI runs on Tuesday. He achieved this feat during the first ODI of the three-match series against Australia in Lahore.

During the chase, he leapfrogged world-class players such as Virat Kohli, Joe Root, David Warner and West Indies great Sir Vivian Richards to become the fastest to score 4K runs. Meanwhile, over six years, Babar has emerged as Pakistan's vital key batsman since making his ODI debut in 2015.

The 27-year-old Babar Azam became the second-fastest batsman to reach the landmark of 4000-runs. He took 82 innings to achieve this milestone in the ODI format. South African opener Hashim Amla still holds the world record for scoring the fastest 4000 runs in ODI cricket.

However, the Pakistan skipper is also the first ever from his country to complete 4,000 ODI runs in less than 100 innings. Earlier, Mohammad Yousuf was the fastest, who took 110 innings to reach this landmark. Moreover, Babar is the 15th player from Pakistan to score 4,000 ODI runs.

He was inducted into the elite list of 4K runs when Babar scored his 15th run while chasing the mammoth total of 313/7. Unfortunately, Pakistan lost to Australia by 88 runs in the opening ODI. The visitors lead the three-match series by 1-nil. 

Interestingly, Babar took only 14 innings to bridge the gap from 3,000s to 4,000s ODI runs, while Australian batsman David Warner took only 12 innings to make a jump for the same.

List of batters fastest to 4000 ODI runs (by innings)

• Hashim Amla (South Africa) - 81 innings
• Babar Azam (Pakistan) - 82 innings
• Sir Vivian Richards (West Indies) – 91 innings
• Virat Kohli (India) - 93 innings
• David Warner (Australia) - 93 innings