Pakistan captain Babar Azam became the first skipper to score 15o-plus runs in the Asia Cup after his blistering knock against Nepal on Wednesday. The 28-year-old led the team from the front in the campaign opener on home soil, as he propelled the Men in Green to post a big total of 342-6 at the end of the 50 overs.
The 28-year-old continued his rich form scoring his 19th century in the ODI format of the game. The Pakistan skipper broke the record of the former Indian skipper Virat Kohli of 136 runs against Bangladesh in the continental event, which was held by him since the 2014 Asia Cup.
Babar Azam also becomes the second batter to score 150+ runs in Asia Cup history after the Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli, who scored 183 runs against the arch-rivals Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup. The Pakistan skipper was brilliant on his home soil, as he observed the pressure to tackle the bowlers in the middle over before taking on the bowlers in the end over of the game.
The Pakistan skipper joined the likes of legendary Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene, and David Warner to score his 19th hundred in the ODI format of the game from 102 innings with an average close to 60 in the 50-over format. Babar Azam would look to continue his fine form going into the second game against India in Kandy on September 2.
The Men in Green has been in fantastic form in ODI cricket as they produced some scintillating performances in recent times. Babar Azam-led is currently the No.1 ranked team in ODI cricket and after their thumping win over Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series to moved to the top of the ODI ranking surpassing the mighty Australian team.
Babar Azam-led side will be riding high on confidence after an emphatic win over the Nepal team in the campaign opener with them doing exceedingly well in all three departments, capitalizing on the crucial moments of the game.
Pakistan has always been one of the strongest sides in World Cricket and the Men in Green have performed exceptionally well, especially in white-ball cricket. The Men in Green has ticked almost all the boxes going into the high-octane clash against India in Sri Lanka.