RAWALPINDI: Pakistan superstar Babar Azam etched his name alongside Virat Kohli in the record books on Sunday as he equalled the Indian batting icon’s mark for the most half-centuries in T20I cricket. The former Pakistan captain smashed his 38th T20I fifty during the tri-series clash against Zimbabwe at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Babar reached the milestone in the 14th over, bringing up his half-century off 43 balls with four boundaries. His composed 74 off 52 deliveries, featuring seven fours and two sixes, helped Pakistan post a strong total of 195-5 in their 20 overs.
Most T20I Half-Centuries (All-Time)
38 – Virat Kohli (117 innings)
38 – Babar Azam (127 innings)
32 – Rohit Sharma
30 – Mohammad Rizwan
28 – David Warner
28 – Jos Buttler
Farhan-Babar stand sets the tone
Opening partner Sahibzada Farhan played the aggressor in a superb 63 off 41 balls, hitting three sixes and four fours. Together, he and Babar stitched a match-defining 103-run stand, rescuing Pakistan after Saim Ayub’s early dismissal.
Late fireworks from Fakhar Zaman, who blasted 27 off just 10 balls with three towering sixes, propelled Pakistan close to the 200-run mark.
Zimbabwe’s captain Sikandar Raza was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets.
Zimbabwe crumble to Usman Tariq’s brilliance
Chasing 196, Zimbabwe were rattled early as Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim Jr removed the openers inside two overs.
Veteran Brendan Taylor fell soon after to Faheem Ashraf, leaving Zimbabwe 26-3.
A 34-run stand between Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl offered temporary resistance, but Pakistan regained full control when Mohammad Nawaz dismissed Raza for 23.
The turning point came in the 10th over when young spinner Usman Tariq produced a sensational spell, completing a hat-trick by dismissing Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa and Wellington Masakadza in consecutive deliveries. Zimbabwe crashed to 60-7, with Tariq finishing on extraordinary figures of 4-18.
Nawaz, Wasim Jr, Faheem and Naseem added a wicket each as Pakistan ran through the batting order.
Ryan Burl fights alone
Amid the collapse, Ryan Burl played a lone hand, scoring an unbeaten 67 off 49 balls with eight fours and two sixes, guiding Zimbabwe past the 100-run mark before the innings ended on a run out.
With the win, Pakistan not only secured a commanding victory but also witnessed a historic milestone as their premier batter Babar Azam matched Virat Kohli’s T20I fifty record. Babar now leads the all-time T20I run chart with 4,392 runs in 134 matches, including three centuries.
