Pakistan vs England: Babar Azam slams 8th Test Century, completes 1000 Test runs at home

Rawalpindi, Dec 3: As the Rawalpindi pitch continues to aid the batters in the ongoing first Test between Pakistan and England, the hosts' captain Babar Azam slammed yet another century in the red-ball format on Saturday (December 3).

On the third day of the Test match, Pakistan batters also made most of the flat track and returned the English bowlers in kind after their bowlers were taken to the cleaners in the first essay. England batters had made most of the good batting conditions. As many as four batters notched up their centuries in Rawalpindi as England posted 657.

Babar Slams 8th Test Century

With his century, Babar joined his teammates Asadullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq to become the third centurion from his side in the match. Babar - who has been in a rich vein of form across formats - smashed his third century in the red-ball format in 2022. This is Babar's eighth Test century overall and he has equalled former Pakistan batter Majid Khan - who also slammed eight tons in his Test career. It is his fifth Test century as Pakistan captain and many more are going to come with the kind of form he has been in.

Babar brings up maiden Test ton vs England

The 28-year-old also notched up his maiden Test ton against England with this knock. Previously, the stylish batter had three fifties against the English side in the longer format of the game. The right-handed batter also completed 350 runs against England in Tests and his average is a healthy 87.

Babar completes big milestone at home

With his knock, Babar also completed 1000 Test runs at home in 14 innings. In nine matches, he has slammed five tons and four fifties in Pakistan in the games he played between 2016 and 2022. His average is a healthy 94 at home soil.

Prior to this innings, Babar had smashed two centuries against Sri Lanka and one hundred each against Australia and Bangladesh. He played a marathon knock of 196 against the Aussies earlier this year and faced 425 balls in Karachi Test.

Earlier in the day, Pakistani openers Imam-ul-Haq and Asadullah Shafique slammed respective centuries and shared a massive 245 runs. With their partnership, the duo laid a foundation for the Pakistani middle order to torment English bowlers on a lifeless pitch.