Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam equalled Saeed Anwar’s long-standing national record of 20 ODI centuries during the second One-Day International against Sri Lanka at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Friday.
Babar reached the milestone in his 136th ODI innings, becoming the third-fastest player in the world to score 20 ODI hundreds.
Only South Africa’s Hashim Amla (108 innings) and India’s Virat Kohli (133 innings) reached the landmark in fewer innings.
Saeed Anwar had set the previous Pakistan record with 20 ODI centuries in 244 innings.
This century also marked Babar’s first international hundred in over two years, with his previous one coming against Nepal during the Asia Cup on 30 August 2023 in Multan.
Earlier in the series, Babar had drawn level with Virat Kohli’s unwanted record of going 83 consecutive international innings without scoring a century—a streak he finally ended with his match-defining performance on Friday.