Star Pakistan batter Babar Azam ended his two-year century drought with a brilliant ton against Sri Lanka in the second one-day international (ODI) at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday. The former Pakistan captain’s 32nd in international cricket comes after a gap of two years, two months and 15 days.
The star batter brought up the much-anticipated century off 115 balls when he pulled Pramod Madushan for a single. Babar, who last made an international century during the ACC Men’s Asia Cup match against Nepal in 2023, had been unable to convert his starts into a big knock. The 31-year-old scored multiple half-centuries across formats during the drought, but was unable to breach the 100-run barrier.
The drought-ending century was Babar’s 32nd in international cricket and 20th in ODIs. He has scored nine tons in Tests, while three in T20Is. Coupled with 32 centuries, the right-handed batter also has 104 half-centuries to his name across formats. Babar has also equalled the record for most ODI centuries for Pakistan.