With the ICC World Cup 2023 just around the corner, Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, is on the cusp of etching his name in cricket history. The prolific batsman, known for his elegant strokeplay, is closing in on a remarkable record as he prepares to lead his team in the upcoming mega event.
Babar Azam currently boasts 19 One Day International (ODI) centuries in his illustrious career, achieved over 105 innings with an impressive average of 58.16. If he manages to score just two more centuries during the ICC World Cup 2023, Babar will surpass Saeed Anwar’s record of 20 ODI hundreds, making him the Pakistani player with the most centuries in the 50-over format.
Here’s a look at the top five Pakistan players with the most ODI centuries:
- Saeed Anwar: 20 centuries in 244 innings
- Babar Azam: 19 centuries in 105 innings
- Mohammad Yousuf: 15 centuries in 267 innings
- Mohammad Hafeez: 11 centuries in 216 innings
- Fakhar Zaman: 10 centuries in 77 innings
This significant achievement would further solidify Babar Azam’s reputation as one of the modern greats of the game.
In other news, the Pakistan cricket team conducted their first training session at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. This session marked their initial training session upon arriving in India for the ICC World Cup 2023.
The majority of the Pakistani players, including skipper Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Iftikhar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, and Hasan Ali, participated in the practice session.
Pakistan’s journey to India for the tournament faced delays and uncertainties related to visa issues. However, after a prolonged wait, India issued visas to the Pakistan team, finally putting an end to the concerns.
Pakistan is scheduled to play two warm-up matches before commencing their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on October 6. The highly anticipated clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is set for October 14 in Ahmedabad, promising an intense showdown.
The Pakistan squad for the ICC World Cup 2023 includes:
- Babar Azam (c)
- Abdullah Shafique
- Fakhar Zaman
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
- Shadab Khan
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Usama Mir
- Haris Rauf
- M Wasim Jnr
- Hasan Ali
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Saud Shakeel
- Salman Ali Agha
Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan.
Pakistan’s warm-up matches schedule:
- September 29 — vs New Zealand in Hyderabad
- October 3 — vs Australia in Hyderabad
Pakistan’s ICC World Cup 2023 schedule:
- October 6 — vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
- October 10 — vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
- October 14 — vs India in Ahmedabad
- October 20 — vs Australia in Bengaluru
- October 23 — vs Afghanistan in Chennai
- October 27 — vs South Africa in Chennai
- October 31 — vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
- November 4 — vs New Zealand in Bengaluru (Day match)
- November 11 — vs England in Kolkata
The tournament features both day and day-night fixtures, with day matches starting at 10:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST), and all other matches commencing at 01:30 pm PST. If Pakistan qualifies for the semi-finals, their match will be held in Kolkata. In case India qualifies for the semi-finals against Pakistan, the match will take place in Kolkata.
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