SYLHET – Pakistan star batter Babar Azam has achieved a remarkable milestone in international cricket during the second Test against Bangladesh at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Babar played a determined innings of 68 off 84 balls, hitting 10 boundaries, as he became the only batter in world cricket to cross 9,000 international runs in the 2020s.
He reached this landmark in his 212th international match of the decade, highlighting his remarkable consistency across all formats. During this period, he has scored 17 centuries and 67 half-centuries at an impressive average of 42.53.
England’s Joe Root stands second on the list with 8,305 runs from 120 matches, while Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan follows in third place with 7,779 runs from 199 matches.
Most international runs in the 2020s:
Babar Azam (Pakistan) – 9,060 runs
Joe Root (England) – 8,305 runs
Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan) – 7,779 runs
Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka) – 7,046 runs
Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka) – 6,873 runs
Virat Kohli (India) – 6,771 runs
Litton Das (Bangladesh) – 6,763 runs
Babar also matched Australian star Steve Smith’s record in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) during the same match.
The right-hander registered his 31st Test fifty, joining Smith and England’s Zak Crawley as the joint third-highest half-century scorers in WTC history. He also brought up his 20th fifty in the WTC in just 39 Tests, placing him in a shared third position overall.
England’s Joe Root is second with 22 fifties, while Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne leads the chart with 24.
