Babar Azam ends his ODI century drought; slams majestic knock to punish Sri Lanka 

Babar Azam scores 20th ODI ton [Source: AFP Photo]

Finally, the wait is over as after 2 years and 3 months, Pakistan batter, Babar Azam scored an international century in the second ODI against Sri Lanka in a crucial run-chase. Pakistan needed a tricky 289 to seal the series and the star batter produced a magical knock to slam his 20th ODI century, equalling Saeed Anwar’s record.

Interestingly, he has equalled Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez as the Pakistan batters with the second-most ODI centuries (4). The batter nearly has an average of 60 in ODIs against Sri Lanka, showcasing his love for the Island Nation. His last ODI century came against Nepal in August 2023 during the Asia Cup event.

Most ODI centuries for Pakistan as Babar joins Anwar

• Babar has the same number of ODI tons as the great Saeed Anwar, but technically sits above him as the right-handed batter has accumulated them in fewer innings. He has reached the milestone in just 139 matches.
• Mohammad Yousuf, the former cricketer, had 15 ODI centuries, while Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez are tied with 11 hundreds each.

Babar Azam's century leads Pakistan to series win

This was a statement century as Babar’s knock ensured that Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka to maintain their recent ODI streak. They defeated South Africa and headed into the ODI series against Sri Lanka with confidence.

However, despite winning the first ODI against them, the Men in Green were set a daunting task, but Babar made the job easier as the batter forged a crucial partnership alongside Fakhar Zaman, and then steered his side past the winning line as he, and Mohammad Rizwan stayed unbeaten to guide Pakistan home. The hosts won the game by 8-wickets and also won the series with a match to spare.

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