After the innings in which he got to 6000, Babar’s batting average stood at 55.73 – the highest for any batter at that point
Sampath Bandarupalli14-Feb-2025123 – Innings that Babar Azam needed to complete 6000 runs in ODI cricket, the joint-fastest to the milestone alongside Hashim Amla. He got to the landmark in the tri-series final against New Zealand in Karachi. Babar’s rise to joint-fastest pushes Virat Kohli down to No. 3 on the list – he had got there in 136 innings.Before Babar, Saeed Anwar was the quickest to the landmark for Pakistan. Anwar had taken 162 innings, Babar bettered that by 39 innings.1 – Babar is also the fastest overall to reach 5000 ODI runs, accomplishing this in just 97 innings. He is the second-quickest to 4000 ODI runs, achieving it in 81 innings, one behind Amla (82).ESPNcricinfo Ltd55.73 – Batting average of Babar in ODIs. It is the highest for any batter at the time of reaching 6000 runs in men’s ODIs (that is, average at the end of the innings during which they completed the milestone). The previous highest was by Michael Bevan, who averaged 54.70 when he reached 6000 runs in his 167th innings.11 – Batters to score 6000-plus runs for Pakistan in ODIs, including Babar. Only three of these batters were younger than Babar when they got to 6000. Babar was 30 years and 122 days old when he got there, behind Inzamam-ul-Haq (29y 86d), Mohammad Yousuf (30y 40d) and Shahid Afridi (30y 106d).19 – ODI hundreds by Babar so far, the second-most for Pakistan in the format, one behind Saeed Anwar’s 20. Babar scored his 19th ODI ton in his 102nd innings, the fewest needed to get to No. 19 for any batter.
3 – Babar is one of the three batters to score 6000-plus ODI runs since his debut, behind Virat Kohli (7426) and Rohit Sharma (6768). His 19 centuries are also the third-most by any batter in this period.2 – Babar is the only batter to score a hat-trick of hundreds on two occasions in ODI cricket. He scored hundreds in three consecutive innings against West Indies in 2016, and did it again in 2022 against Australia and West Indies.37 – Babar’s average since his previous hundred in ODIs – 151 against Nepal in August 2023. Babar has scored 666 runs in 21 innings with six fifties since then, with a best of 74.In the 50 innings before his century-less streak, he scored 3086 runs at an average of 67.08 with 11 centuries and 19 fifties. That was the second-best 50-innings streak for any batter in men’s ODIs in terms of runs aggregate.
