Babar Azam achieves historic feat in Test cricket

Pakistan’s star batter, Babar Azam, etched his name in cricket history by becoming the first Pakistani to score 4,000 runs across all three formats of the game.

The historic achievement came in the first Test of Pakistan’s series against South Africa, where Babar reached the milestone with a boundary.

This remarkable feat places him alongside Indian cricket icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who are also part of this exclusive list.

Babar’s significant moment came during Pakistan’s innings in the Boxing Day Test. Despite being dismissed for just four runs, the brief stay at the crease saw him cross the 4,000-run mark in Test cricket, making him the 12th Pakistani batter to achieve this feat.

In addition to his Test achievements, Babar has accumulated 4,223 runs in T20Is and 5,957 runs in ODIs, further cementing his status as one of modern cricket’s top performers.

While Babar’s record-breaking run grabbed headlines, Pakistan’s performance in the ongoing Boxing Day Test against South Africa was less than ideal.

After being put in to bat, the hosts endured a rough start, losing four wickets for just 88 runs in the first session.

The opening pair of Shan Masood and Saim Ayub gave Pakistan a modest 36-run partnership, but both were dismissed in quick succession. Masood fell for 17, while Ayub was out for 14. Babar’s departure for just four runs added to Pakistan’s woes.

Kamran Ghulam was the top scorer for Pakistan, contributing 54 runs to the total. The team’s batting struggles left them in a precarious position as they attempted to recover from the early setbacks.

Pakistan Playing XI: Shan Masood (c), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas.

South Africa Playing XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch.