Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, now have held the top spot among T20I batters for the longest period of time. India star Virat Kohli was the No.1 ranked T20I batter for a total of 1,013 days during his reign last decade, but Babar has now surpassed this number following his protracted reign at the top.
His tally now stands 1031 days as of June 30, Thursday. Azam is ranked first in the Men’s T20I rankings table with 818 points, followed by his opening partner and colleague Mohammad Rizwan with 794 points.
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The Pakistan skipper is currently rated as the No.1 batter in T20Is and ODIs and recently suggested he was keen to try and claim top billing in all three formats of the game.
“As a player it’s a dream to become the No. 1 in all formats and, for that, you have to focus and put in hard work. It’s not like if you are the top player in one or two formats, you go easy,” Babar had said earlier this month. “If you are to become No.1 in all three, you have to keep yourself fit and on track. There is back-to-back cricket and the gap is less. For that, you need to be extra fit.
The fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who reached a career-high third place among ODI bowlers, and Azam were both praised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Pakistan cricket team is also set to face Sri Lanka under the leadership of Babar Azam next month for two test matches.