Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam on Friday broke the record of South African batting great Hashim Amla to become the fastest batter to reach 5,000 runs in One Day International (ODI) cricket.
Babar achieved this milestone in just 97 innings during the ongoing fourth ODI against New Zealand in Karachi, surpassing Amla’s record of achieving this feat in 101 innings.
Babar now holds the top spot on the list of the fastest batters to score 5,000 ODI runs, followed by Hashim Amla (101), Viv Richards (114), Virat Kohli (114), and David Warner (115).
The fastest to reach 5,000 ODI runs are:
Babar Azam (Pak) — 97 innings
Hashim Amla (SA) — 101 innings
Viv Richards (WI) — 114 innings
Virat Kohli (Ind) — 114 innings
David Warner (Aus) — 115 innings
Babar ends reign of India’s Kohli as top ODI batsman
Babar has been the No.1 ranked batter in the ICC ODI rankings for the past two years and has set numerous records in this format. Last week, he became the second-fastest Asian player to score 12,000 international runs, just falling short of the record held by Kohli.
Babar achieved this feat during his 49-run knock in the first ODI against New Zealand at Pindi Cricket Stadium.
The 28-year-old reached the milestone in his 277th international inning, while India’s superstar batter took only 276 innings.