Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam made history during the second T20I against New Zealand in Lahore on Saturday.
Azam’s incredible performance of 101 runs in 58 balls, including 11 fours and three sixes, earned him the record for the most T20I hundreds by a captain. With three centuries, Azam now surpasses Rohit Sharma of India and Faheem Nazir of Switzerland, who each have two.
Most centuries as a captain in T20Is:
3⃣ – @babarazam258 🇵🇰
2️⃣ – @ImRo45 🇮🇳
2️⃣ – Faheem Nazir 🇨🇭#PakCricket #PAKvNZ #BabarAzam𓃵 pic.twitter.com/YU7HPtGiXS— Rai M. Azlan (@Mussanaf) April 15, 2023
Azam’s opening partnership with Mohammad Rizwan was another highlight of the match, as they added 99 runs for the first wicket partnership. This partnership marked the 19th time that Rizwan and Azam had a 50+ partnership in T20Is, breaking the record previously held by India’s Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul with 15 partnerships.
In the end, Pakistan won the match by 38 runs, finishing with 192-4 in their allotted 20 overs. The win gives the home side a 2-0 lead in the series after their victory in the second T20I on Saturday by 38 runs.
The remaining three T20 matches will be played on April 17 in Lahore, and 20 and 24 in Rawalpindi. Pakistan and New Zealand will also play five one-day internationals after the T20 series as part of their preparations for the 50-over World Cup in India later this year.
The current tour by New Zealand is a compensation for their cancellation of their visit to Pakistan in September 2021 due to security concerns. However, the Black Caps played two Tests and three ODIs in Pakistan just three months ago.
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