PAK vs IRE: Babar Azam breaks Virat Kohli's massive batting record during the third T20I against Ireland

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam made history by breaking star Indian batter Virat Kohli's massive world record during the third and final T20I match against Ireland. Babar Azam surpassed Virat Kohli's tally of 50+ scores in the shorter format of the game.

The Men in Green secured a six-wicket victory at the Clontarf Cricket Club Ground in Dublin on Tuesday, May 14. The visitors chased down the 179-run target with three overs to spare. The Pakistan team registered a series victory despite losing the first match.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and elected to field first on a batting-friendly track. Captain Lorcan Tucker scored 73 runs off 41 balls, with 13 boundaries and one six. Andrew Balbirnie (35) and Harry Tector (30) made significant contributions to the team.

During the run chase, the Pakistan cricket team lost an early wicket in the third over. Saim Ayub scored 14 runs off 11 balls before being dismissed by Mark Adair. However, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan added a century partnership to stabilize the innings.

Babar Azam Breaks Virat Kohli's Record

During his innings, Babar reached his half-century in just 31 balls, breaking Virat Kohli's long-standing world record. The 29-year-old batter holds the record for the most 50+ scores in the shortest format of the international game.

Babar Azam has surpassed the 50-run mark 39 times, including three centuries. Virat Kohli has achieved it 38 times, with one century. Rohit Sharma (34), Mohammad Rizwan (29), and David Warner (27) are next on the list of elite batters.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Babar Azam acknowledged Ireland's performance in the first ten overs but praised Pakistan's bowlers for taking wickets later in the game. Babar admitted areas for improvement before the upcoming England series.

"Credit to the Ireland batsmen for the first ten overs but after ten overs, our bowlers bowled well. We took wickets at the later stage and we were good in the death stage. We enjoyed a lot, we are trying to entertain the crowd, we liked playing cricket here," Babar said.

"(On his partnership with Rizwan) We have a good communication in the middle and we are playing a lot of cricket today. We talked about run rate and we were targetting some bowlers, we believed in ourselves and tried to match the run rate. We had good practice and we are now looking forward to the England series, a lot of positives for us, we executed our plans and will look to improve on some areas," he added.

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