Babar Azam enters elite Pakistan captaincy club with major international milestone

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Babar Azam has added another memorable chapter to his international career by achieving a significant captaincy milestone for Pakistan. The star batter, who recently returned as Pakistan’s Test captain, continues to cement his legacy as one of the country’s most influential leaders. His latest achievement places him alongside some of Pakistan cricket’s greatest captains, underlining the consistency and longevity of his leadership across formats.

Babar has become only the third Pakistan captain to lead the national team in 150 or more international matches across all three formats. The milestone places him in an elite group alongside legendary World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan and former skipper Misbah-ul-Haq.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently restored Babar as the Test captain, replacing Shan Masood ahead of Pakistan’s upcoming away Test series against the West Indies and England. The appointment marked another vote of confidence in Babar’s leadership, and he has now reached yet another landmark in his captaincy career.

According to the latest records, Babar has captained Pakistan in 150 international matches, making him the third-most experienced captain in the country’s history across Tests, One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).

Most matches as Pakistan captain (all formats)

Babar has also enjoyed considerable success as captain. He sits second on Pakistan’s all-format list for international victories with 84 wins, trailing only Imran’s tally of 89 wins. Misbah occupies third place with 77 victories. Across his 150 matches as captain, Babar has registered 84 wins, 51 defeats, two ties, four draws and eight no-results, giving him an overall win percentage of 56 percent. The numbers highlight his consistency despite leading Pakistan through different phases and across varying conditions around the world. With Babar still actively leading the side, he remains well placed to climb further up Pakistan’s all-time captaincy charts in both matches led and victories.

Also READ: Justin Greaves gives West Indies a strong finish on Day 1 against Pakistan in the second Test

While Babar celebrated a personal milestone, Pakistan endured a challenging opening day in the second Test against the West Indies at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.

After electing to bat first, the hosts reached 239/5 in 74 overs before rain and bad light forced an early end to play. Although Pakistan’s spin attack kept the scoring under control for large periods, the West Indies recovered strongly during the final session. Debutant spinner Ali Usman impressed by striking twice in quick succession to leave the home side struggling at 173/5, briefly shifting momentum in Pakistan’s favour. However, the visitors were unable to capitalize as Justin Greaves and captain Chase combined for a resilient stand.

Greaves overcame a minor leg injury to remain unbeaten on 64, while Chase finished the day on 36 not out. Their unbroken 66-run partnership ensured the West Indies closed the day in a commanding position despite multiple interruptions caused by rain. Pakistan will now look for early wickets on Day 2 to prevent the West Indies from posting a daunting first-innings total.

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