Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam finally broke his long-running century drought, smashing a magnificent hundred against Sri Lanka in the second ODI at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday. The knock not only ended his 807-day wait for an international century but also allowed him to equal Saeed Anwar’s record for the most ODI centuries for Pakistan.
Babar brought up his 20th ODI century — and 32nd overall in international cricket — off 115 balls, steering a single off Pramod Madushan to reach the milestone. This was his first international hundred since the Asia Cup 2023, where he last reached triple figures against Nepal.
Over the past two years, the 31-year-old consistently produced solid starts and several half-centuries across formats, yet the elusive three-figure mark remained out of reach. His dismissal for 29 in the opening ODI of the current series had extended his drought to 83 innings, putting him level with Virat Kohli on the list of most innings without a century, a list topped by Sanath Jayasuriya.
But on his 84th attempt, Babar finally broke through.
The century marks his 20th ton in ODIs, adding to his nine Test and three T20I hundreds. Across formats, he now boasts 32 international centuries and 104 half-centuries, solidifying his status as one of modern cricket’s most prolific run-scorers.
By reaching the landmark, Babar has matched Saeed Anwar’s longstanding record of most ODI hundreds for Pakistan. Anwar scored his 20 centuries in 244 innings, while Babar achieved the same feat in just 136 innings, highlighting his extraordinary consistency and efficiency.
