Pakistan skipper Babar Azam becomes the sixth Pakistani to score over 1,000 Test runs in the calendar year
Babar Azam, the skipper of Pakistan, is now the sixth Pakistani to amass more than 1,000 Test runs in a single year.
On Monday, during the third day of the Karachi Test against England. The Pakistani captain accomplished the record when he reached 45 in his innings. Babar, however, was dropped despite scoring 54.
Babar is the sixth cricketer from Pakistan to accomplish this accomplishment since Younis Khan twice did it. This was the seventh time a Pakistani batsman had scored 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year.
In 2006, the former captain Younis scored 1,179 runs. In 2014, he added 1,064 runs. With 1,788 runs in the year 2006, Mohammad Yousuf has the most runs on the chart. Azhar Ali (1,198 in 2016), Inzamam-ul-Haq (1,090 in 2000). And Mohsin Khan are other Pakistani batters on the list (1,029 in 1982).
Before Babar, only three other batters had amassed 1,000 runs for the year. Joe Root of England has 1,098 runs in 27 innings. Usman Khawaja of Australia has 1,079 runs in 19 innings, and Jonny Bairstow of England has 1,061 runs in 19 innings.
Babar still has two innings left this year as Pakistan is set to play New Zealand in a Test match from December 26 to December 30 in Karachi. Babar currently has 1,009 runs from 15 innings.
The star player is in the third spot of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) career-best rankings with 871 points.
Babar’s third place comes after Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith — who are in the first and second spots respectively.
Also, Babar Azam protests security measures for Pakistan players by not taking the field for an hour.
However, late on Sunday night reports emerged in the Pakistan media. That Babar was in fact protesting the security arrangements in place. It is has been reported that the Pakistan team wanted to have dinner outside their team hotel in a restaurant on Saturday night but were stopped from doing so by security personnel. The team were informed that they had to inform them in advance of the same which irked the home side and skipper Babar.
“It is for their own good and Pakistan cricket : PCB
A report by Press Trust of India (PTI) states that while Pakistan players understand the same restriction being in place for visiting teams like England. They are not pleased with the same being there for them on home soil.
This is the first time England are touring Pakistan in 17 years for a Test series. While Australia visited the nation for the first time in 24 years earlier this year. International cricket in Pakistan was put on a hiatus for almost a decade after a terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009 at Lahore.
Last year, the New Zealand team pulled out of an ODI series in Pakistan just minutes before the series opener due to security threats.
Both Pakistan and England players have been provided with Presidential security.
