Babar Azam destroys Virat Kohli's record, becomes fastest Asian in history to...

Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam reached a significant milestone during the clash with New Zealand in the ongoing tri-nation series final at National Bank Stadium. The Pakistani batter became the joint-fastest player to score 6,000 ODI runs, which showcases his skill and consistency in the format.

Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to bat first in Karachi on Friday, February 14. The hosts got off to a poor start as they lost the wicket of Fakhar Zaman, who scored 10 runs off 15 balls, in the fourth over. Saud Shakeel had departed to the dressing room after scoring just 8 runs off 14 deliveries.

Babar Azam Equals Hashim Amla's Longstanding ODI Record

Babar Azam reached the milestone of 6000 ODI runs during the ongoing match against New Zealand. Azam needed just 10 runs to achieve the feat and did so in style, hitting a four off Jacob Duffy in the seventh over. He perfectly timed a drive wide of cover-point to reach his 6000th run in ODI cricket.

The 30-year-old batter equaled South African legend Hashim Amla's record for the fastest to reach 6000 ODI runs. Both batters achieved the massive milestone in 123 innings. Babar also became the fastest Asian player to reach this mark, surpassing Indian batter Virat Kohli, who took 136 innings to do so.

The Pakistan Cricket Board took to the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to appreciate Babar after reaching the milestone with the caption: "6️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ ODI runs completed! @babarazam258 is the joint-fastest to the milestone ✅🥇."

6️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ ODI runs completed! @babarazam258 is the joint-fastest to the milestone ✅🥇#3Nations1Trophy | #PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/uwwN5FFfrO

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 14, 2025

Nathan Smith took a stunning caught-and-bowled dismissal to send Babar back to the pavilion for 29 runs off 34 balls. Pakistan was struggling at 54/3 in the 12th over and Salman Agha, the player of the match in Pakistan's previous game, joined Mohammad Rizwan at the crease.

Babar Azam Becomes 11th Pakistani Batter To Reach 6,000 ODI Runs

Babar Azam has become the 11th Pakistani batter to score 6,000 ODI runs. Former players who have also reached this milestone in ODIs are Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Javed Miandad, Younis Khan, Saleem Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, and Ejaz Ahmed.

Babar holds the record for the fastest batter to score 5,000 ODI runs, reaching the milestone in 97 innings. He has also scored 19 ODI centuries—second among Pakistani batters for most hundreds. Legendary batter Inzamam-ul-Haq remains the highest run-scorer for Pakistan in ODI cricket, with 11,701 runs.

Fastest to 6000 ODI Runs

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