- Babar Azam hits first century of Asia Cup against Nepal, marking his 19th ODI hundred.
- The Pakistan captain’s century aids in rapid recovery after early setbacks.
- Babar Azam’s achievement equals international century count of Pakistani legends.
In the opening match of the Asia Cup tournament at Multan Cricket Stadium, Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam secured the first century of this year’s competition against Nepal. This marks his 19th ODI century, showing his prowess as the top-ranked ODI batter globally. Despite early setbacks in the ongoing match, Babar Azam’s century played a pivotal role in swiftly recovering the team’s performance. He accomplished this milestone in 109 deliveries.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) acknowledged Babar Azam’s achievement in a social media post on X, noting that he now shares the same number of international centuries as Pakistani cricket legends Javed Miandad and Saeed Anwar.
A superb ton from the skipper 💯
Babar Azam now has as many international hundreds as Pakistan legends Javed Miandad and Saeed Anwar 👏#PAKvNEP | 📝: https://t.co/5ewtl5FKT7 pic.twitter.com/t74KKxJkye
— ICC (@ICC) August 30, 2023
Notably, a decade ago, Babar Azam’s unbeaten century led Pakistan U-23 to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over Nepal in the ACC Emerging Teams Cup.
In the Asia Cup opener, Pakistan emerged victorious in the toss and opted to bat first against Nepal.