New Delhi: Babar Azam shattered Chris Gayle’s long-standing world record during the second T20I between South Africa and Pakistan at SuperSport Park, Centurion. Batting at number three, Babar scored 31 runs off 20 balls after Saim Ayub opened with Mohammad Rizwan.
Amidst scrutiny over his T20 form, Babar Azam stepped up with an aggressive mindset in the second T20I against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion, scoring 31 runs off just 20 balls.
After Pakistan’s defeat in the series opener, Babar Azam was demoted to number three, with Saim Ayub opening alongside Mohammad Rizwan. Rizwan’s poor form continued, scoring just 10 runs off 11 balls, but Babar’s arrival injected much-needed momentum into the innings.
Babar and Ayub formed an 87-run partnership off just 46 balls. Ayub was the standout performer, scoring a quick-fire half-century off 33 balls, putting Pakistan on track for a big total.
During the innings, Babar etched his name in history by crossing 11,000 runs in T20 cricket (international, franchise, and domestic). He became the 11th player to reach this milestone and only the second Pakistani after Shoaib Malik.
Babar broke Chris Gayle’s long-standing record to become the fastest player in history (by innings) to reach 11,000 runs. Achieving this milestone in 298 innings, Babar is the first player to do so in under 300 innings.
| Player | Innings (to 11000 T20 Runs) |
| Babar Azam | 318 |
| Chris Gayle | 314 |
| David Warner | 330 |
| Virat Kohli | 337 |
| Aaron Finch | 363 |
However, among players who have scored over 11,000 runs, Babar has the second slowest strike rate, after Shoaib Malik (127.47). Both Babar and Shoaib are the only players with a strike rate below 130.
Overall, Babar has accumulated 11,020 runs in 298 T20 innings, averaging 43.38 with a strike rate of 129.35, along with 11 centuries to his name.
