Babar Azam ends the drought of the century with a stunning coincidence linked to Virat Kohli; will be the largest in Pakistan

Pakistan fans can finally celebrate as Babar Azam has broken his long century drought in style. The former Pakistan captain hit an unbeaten 102 off 119 balls to break his long drought in the formats at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Babar Azam’s stunning century led Pakistan to a dominant eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second ODI in Rawalpindi on Friday, November 14. The chase of 289 looked challenging at one point but Babar controlled the innings with composure and class and took his team home with 10 balls to spare.

Babar Azam ends 807-day drought with an epic century against Sri Lanka

This century was more than just a personal milestone as it ended Babar Azam’s dry spell that spanned 83 international innings, including 33 ODI innings. It took the Pakistan star 807 days to break the drought, and it was one of the longest gaps between centuries for a modern batting superstar.

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The erstwhile Pakistan’s last international hundred had come during the 2023 Asia Cup against Nepal. With this blow, Babar has now risen to the top of Pakistan’s all-time ODI century list. He now shares the number one position with 20 centuries alongside Saeed Anwar.

Behind them are Mohammad Yousuf with 15, and both Mohammad Hafeez and Fakhar Zaman with 11 centuries each. There’s also an interesting twist to the milestone.

Babar’s century drought lasted exactly the same number of innings (83) as India’s batting icon Virat Kohli’s famous dry run between 2019 and 2022. Kohli finally broke his century drought during the Asia Cup against Afghanistan in the UAE. And now Babar has ended his century of drought at home.

Babar Azam is rewriting history in Rawalpindi

Meanwhile, Azam’s unbeaten century in Rawalpindi has not only ended the long wait for a hundred but also pushed him past several legendary names in Pakistani cricket. With this innings, Babar now holds the record for most ODI centuries on Pakistani soil, overtaking Mohammad Yousuf’s total of seven. He now has eight ODI centuries to his name.

Moreover, the right-handed batsman has become the third-fastest player in the world to reach 20 ODI centuries, coming in just 136 innings, after Hashim Amla and Virat Kohli.

Babar is now just one step away from equaling Inzamam-ul-Haq’s record for most ODI centuries for Pakistan. Inzamam, Pakistan’s former captain and former chief selector, tops the list with 41 100-run partnerships, while Babar already has 40 such partnerships.

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Babar Azam reflects on hard work after record-breaking ton

After being named Player of the Match for his match-winning performance against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, the right-handed batsman explained that he continued to rely on his skills and the effort he put in, and now he is proud of achieving these milestones.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Babar said: “I wanted to believe in myself and my hard work. I had a good start but I couldn’t live up to expectations. I stepped out at the wrong times. I just did my best. It’s an honor to pass all the records of all the legends.”