In the first ODI against Sri Lanka, Babar Azam scored just 29 runs off 51 balls before being bowled out. With this, he has now gone 83 consecutive innings across all formats of international cricket without scoring a century. This equals the longest gap between two centuries previously held by Indian legend Virat Kohli.
Babar’s last century came against Nepal in 2023. Since then, in 83 innings, his highest score has been 81. Despite hitting 20 half-centuries during this period, he has failed to reach the three-figure mark even once. His batting average during this “century drought” stands at 31.06.
Against Sri Lanka, Babar looked set for a big innings early on, but in the 24th over, he was bowled by Wanindu Hasaranga’s spin. Just as Kohli once endured a similar slump, Babar now finds himself in the same unwanted record book. Kohli had scored his 70th career century on November 23, 2019, and had to wait until September 8, 2022, for his 71st — a gap of 83 innings.
Now, the question is: how much longer will Babar’s century drought continue?
Despite Babar’s failure, Pakistan won the match. Batting first in Rawalpindi after losing the toss, Pakistan posted 299 runs for 5 wickets. In reply, Sri Lanka managed 293 runs for 9 wickets. Salman Ali Agha scored a century for Pakistan. The two teams will face each other again tomorrow in the second match of the series.
