Babar Azam Reaches 4,000 Runs in T20I Cricket During Series Against England
Pakistan’s star batsman Babar Azam added another milestone to his illustrious career during the fourth and final T20I against England at Kennington Oval in London on Thursday, May 30.
Babar Azam became the second batsman after Indian teammate Virat Kohli to complete 4,000 runs in T20I cricket history. Azam needs just 13 points to join the former Indian captain in this list of notables. With the third T20I between England and Pakistan marred by rain in Cardiff, Babar Azam could not achieve this milestone. However, the Pakistan skipper managed to score the required runs to achieve a historic feat in the final match of the T20I series against England in London. Babar Azam accomplished this by hitting four consecutive fours against Chris Jordan in the fourth over of Pakistan’s innings.
Top Run-Scorers in T20Is:
Virat Kohli – 4,037* runs (117 matches)
Babar Azam – 4,002* runs (118 matches)
Rohit Sharma – 3,974* runs (151 matches)
Paul Stirling – 3,589* runs (142 matches)
Martin Guptill – 3,531 runs (122 matches)
In the second T20I, Babar scored 23 runs, bringing him close to the 4,000-run milestone. Opening with Mohammad Rizwan in the fourth T20I after Saim Ayub was left out, Babar played confidently before being dismissed by Jofra Archer for 36 runs at 59/1.
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Pakistan’s Innings:
Pakistan were bowled out for 157 in 19.5 overs in the first innings against England. Following Babar’s dismissal, Pakistan’s batting lineup collapsed, losing four quick wickets: Mohammad Rizwan (23), Fakhar Zaman (9), Shadab Khan (0), and Azam Khan (0), reducing them to 86/5. A crucial 40-run partnership between Usman Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed provided some stability until Usman was dismissed for 38 at 126/6. Shaheen Afridi and Iftikhar Ahmed also fell in quick succession, with Iftikhar scoring 21 before being dismissed at 145/8. Naseem Shah contributed 18 valuable runs off 16 balls before being dismissed at 149/9. Pakistan’s innings concluded when Liam Livingstone dismissed Haris Rauf for 8, ending their total at 157 in 19.5 overs.
This innings highlighted Babar Azam’s significant achievement in T20I cricket, despite Pakistan’s overall batting struggles in the match.
