Babar Azam has hit another career milestone.
The 29-year-old Pakistan captain played his 200th List A match during the first One Day International against the West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad. It’s a number that speaks more to consistency than just time served.
Of those 200 games, 132 have been full ODIs for Pakistan. His record in the format? Just over 6,200 runs at an average of 55.17. He’s scored 19 hundreds and 37 fifties. The strike rate sits at nearly 88. For context, few modern batters can match that mix of volume and efficiency.
Prior to the encounter, Babar had amassed a total of 9,381 List A runs. This encompasses 50-over matches played at both a domestic and international level. His average in that department is 54.54 and is the seventh-best with batters over 2,000 runs, according to ESPNcricinfo.
His highest score? 158. Total hundreds? 30. He’s registered also 56 half-centuries during this time.
Babar made his List A debut back in February 2010. His first ODI came five years later. But it didn’t take long after that for the numbers to start piling up.
Earlier this year, he became the joint-fastest batter to reach 6,000 ODI runs, hitting the mark in just 123 innings.
Then there’s the record against the West Indies.
It’s lopsided. He has 717 runs from 10 innings against them. His average? A staggering 79.66. That’s not a typo. No other batter with 200-plus ODI runs against West Indies averages more.
Five centuries. One fifty. A top score of 125 not out.
In fact, Babar’s first three ODI centuries came in consecutive matches against the West Indies. You could say they helped shape his early reputation.
There’s always a debate around stats and their meaning. But some numbers speak for themselves.
Babar Azam has built a case over time, not with big statements or dramatic finishes, but with innings that just keep adding up. And now, 200 matches in, he’s still very much in the middle of his story.
