Galle, July 17: Pakistan captain and batting mainstay Babar Azam on Sunday (July 17) reached yet another milestone as he completed 10000 runs in international cricket. Babar, meanwhile, also leapfrogged former India captain Virat Kohli to become the fastest player from Asia to get to this milestone.
Batting on day two of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium, Babar once again stole the show with his effort and also emerged as the lone warrior for Pakistan. The exceedingly talented right-handed batsman completed 10000 international runs in his 228th innings. Kohli had touched this milestone in 232 innings.
Babar is overall the fifth fastest batter to the unique landmark but he also became the fastest among Asian batters in this club. West Indies batting great Sir Vivian Richards holds the record for fastest to 10000 international runs in just 206 innings.
Former South Africa cricketer Hashim Amla (217), West Indies batting legend Brian Lara (220), and former England captain Joe Root (222) are the ones to have entered the club faster than the Pakistan skipper.
Fastest to 10000 international runs by an Asian cricketer:
Babar Azam (Pakistan) - 228 innings
Virat Kohli (India) - 232 innings
Sunil Gavaskar (India) - 243 innings
Javed Miandad (Pakistan) - 248 innings
Sourav Ganguly (India) - 253 innings
In the match against Sri Lanka, Pakistan reached 194 for 9 in 84 overs in the first innings. While the rest of the batters were subdued by Prabath Jayasuriya's spin in the first innings, Azam showcased his class and scored an unbeaten 95 off 213 deliveries. The right-handed batter shared a stand of 46* off 144 balls with Naseem Shah for the tenth wicket.
Soon after the tea break, Babar scored the remaining 5 runs and completed yet another memorable century. It was his seventh Test century from the in-form batter and ninth as the captain of Pakistan across formats.