PAK vs NZ: Babar Azam Breaks The 16-Year-Old Record of Mohammad Yousuf In The first Test
Babar Azam also became the top run-scorer in Test cricket in 2022.
Babar Azam, on Monday, December 26, smashed the 16-year-old record held by Mohammad Yousuf of scoring the most runs in a calendar year on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Babar now holds the record of scoring the most runs in a calendar year by a Pakistan batter, going past Mohd. Yousuf. While Yosuf had piled up 2435 runs in the year 2006, the right-handed batter now has more than 2500 runs across formats in 2022.
Most Runs by Pakistan Player In a Calendar Year:
| Rank | Player | Matches | Runs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Babar Azam | 44 | 2477 | 2022 |
| 2 | Mohammad Yousuf | 33 | 2435 | 2006 |
| 3 | Saeed Anwar | 43 | 2296 | 1996 |
| 4 | Mohammad Yousuf | 41 | 2226 | 2002 |
| 5 | Inzamam-ul-Haq | 46 | 2164 | 2000 |
| 6 | Babar Azam | 36 | 2082 | 2019 |
| 7 | Misbah-ul-Haq | 42 | 2078 | 2013 |
| 8 | Mohammad Yousuf | 53 | 2000 | 2000 |
| 9 | Younis Khan | 48 | 1947 | 2002 |
| 10 | Mohammad Rizwan | 44 | 1915 | 2021 |
The Lahore-born notched up a sensational century in the ongoing Test, which also happens to be his fourth Test century this year, and overall ninth century in the longest format of the game. Thanks to his belligerent knock, he has also become the leading run-getter in Test cricket in 2022, going past Joe Root.
Most Runs in a Calendar Year:
| Rank | Player | Matches | Runs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ricky Ponting | 46 | 2833 | 2005 |
| 2 | Virat Kohli | 46 | 2818 | 2017 |
| 3 | Kumar Sangakkara | 47 | 2813 | 2014 |
| 4 | Virat Kohli | 37 | 2735 | 2018 |
| 5 | Kane Williamson | 39 | 2692 | 2015 |
| 6 | Ricky Ponting | 45 | 2657 | 2003 |
| 7 | Rahul Dravid | 53 | 2626 | 1999 |
| 8 | Kumar Sangakkara | 50 | 2609 | 2006 |
| 9 | Virat Kohli | 37 | 2595 | 2016 |
| 10 | Sourav Ganguly | 51 | 2580 | 1999 |
| 11 | Joe Root | 41 | 2570 | 2016 |
| 12 | Tillakaratne Dilshan | 42 | 2568 | 2009 |
| 13 | Sachin Tendulkar | 39 | 2541 | 1998 |
| 14 | Angelo Mathews | 52 | 2530 | 2014 |
| 15 | Babar Azam | 44 | 2477 | 2022 |
| 16 | Virat Kohli | 44 | 2455 | 2019 |
The 28-year-old also shattered the record of legendary batter Inzamam ul Haq, who had scored the most fifties in Test cricket as a Pakistan captain in a calendar year (10 in 1995, 2000, and 2005). Babar Azam now has 11 fifty-plus scores in red-ball cricket this year.
Babar Azam – Sarfaraz Ahmed Record Partnership
Babar Azam came at the crease when Pakistan was languishing on 19 for the loss of two wickets after opting to bat first on Karachi. They were in dire need of a partnership and the Pakistan captain arrived at the right time and forged a crucial 62-run partnership with Saud Shakeel.
The Pakistan captain found great assistance from former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was making his first Test appearance after almost four years, having last played against South Africa in 2019. The duo has put on an unbeaten partnership of 153 runs during the time of reporting.
