In the Asia Cup opener against Nepal, held at Multan Cricket Stadium, Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam achieved a remarkable feat. He secured his 19th ODI century with astonishing speed, reaching the milestone faster than any other player. Babar’s masterful innings of 151 runs off 131 balls contributed to this achievement.
On Wednesday, August 30, in Multan, the Asia Cup 2023 began off with an entertaining encounter between Pakistan and Nepal. Babar Azam, the captain of the Pakistan side, took the call at the coin toss and elected to take the first bat. The game opened with Fakhar Zaman and Imam-Ul-Haq as the opening pair, but they experienced some issues dealing with the rather sluggish pitch. Unfortunately, their stay at the crease was short-lived as they were removed early, putting the home team in a bit of a tight hole with a score of 25/2.
In his 102nd innings, at the age of 28, Babar Azam achieved a rare achievement by scoring his 19th ODI century during the 42nd over of the match. This feat allowed him to surpass South African player Hashim Amla in terms of the fewest innings needed to score 19 ODI hundreds.
Following Babar and Amla on this list are famous names like Virat Kohli, who accomplished this milestone in 124 innings, followed by David Warner (139), A B de Villiers (171), and Rohit Sharma (181 innings).
Babar’s excellent effort included a remarkable 151-run innings, confirming his spot as the second-highest century-maker for Pakistan in ODI cricket. This century also was his 31st international hundred, placing him on pace with Pakistani giants Javed Miandad and Saeed Anwar.
Notably, Babar’s remarkable knock of 151 off 131 balls not only became his second-highest ODI score but also got him the second-highest individual batting score in the history of the Asia Cup.
Turning our attention to the overall contest, Babar’s amazing 151, allied with Iftikhar Ahmed’s unbeaten 109 – his first ODI century, allowed Pakistan to record a mammoth total of 342/6.
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