Babar Azam, a cornerstone of Pakistan’s batting lineup, is set to play a crucial role in the upcoming series against the West Indies. The Lahore-born batter, renowned for his elegant stroke play, is on the brink of surpassing one of Pakistan’s cricketing legends, Imran Khan, in the all-time run tally against the Caribbean side. Â
Currently, Imran Khan stands as Pakistan’s fifth-highest run-scorer against the West Indies in international cricket with 1,977 runs. Babar, with 1,676 runs across all formats, needs just 302 runs to overtake the legendary all-rounder. Â
The two cricketing greats also share an identical record of 11 half-centuries against the West Indies. A single half-century in the upcoming series would see Babar move ahead of Imran in this record as well, further cementing his legacy. Â
Babar’s recent performances have shown glimpses of his brilliance. After enduring a challenging phase during home Test matches, he silenced critics with notable contributions during the South Africa series, amassing 193 runs, including three crucial half-centuries. His average of 48.25 in the series highlights his growing consistency. Â
Notably, Babar has already broken a significant record previously held by Imran Khan. In 2022, as Pakistan’s captain, he scored 114 runs against Australia, surpassing Imran’s long-standing record of 82 runs in an innings as captain against the Aussies, set in 1990.Â
The two-match Test series against the West Indies will commence in Multan, with the first Test scheduled to begin on January 17, followed by the second Test starting on January 25.