Babar Azam brought an end to his two-year wait for an international century with a superb hundred against Sri Lanka in the second ODI at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday. The milestone, his 32nd in international cricket, arrived after two years, two months and 15 days, restoring a sense of relief and celebration among fans who had been waiting for his return to three figures.
He reached the century off 115 deliveries, nudging a single off Pramod Madushan. It was his first hundred since the ACC Men’s Asia Cup clash against Nepal in 2023, a period during which he regularly got starts but fell short of converting them into something big. Although he managed several half-centuries across formats, the three-figure mark remained out of reach.
Earlier in the series opener, Babar hinted at a return to form before Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed him with a googly for 29. That innings extended his century drought to 83 international innings, placing him alongside Virat Kohli on a list led by Sanath Jayasuriya for the most successive innings without a hundred.
His 84th attempt, however, finally broke the pattern as he ended a wait that stretched over 807 days. The century marked his 20th in ODIs, adding to his nine Test and three T20I hundreds. Along with his 32 centuries, he now boasts 104 half-centuries across formats.
By reaching this landmark, Babar also equalled Saeed Anwar’s record for the most ODI centuries by a Pakistan batter. While Anwar reached 20 hundreds in 244 innings, Babar matched the feat in just 136, underscoring his remarkable consistency in the format.
