T20 World Cup: Babar, Rizwan strike multiple records in clash against Namibia

KARACHI: Pakistan’s opening partners Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan got several T20I records registered to their names during their T20 World Cup match against Namibia at Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

The records include most century partnerships ever, most runs as batting partners in a calendar year, most T20I runs by a batter in a calendar year, most scores of 50 or more in T20Is a captain and most runs after first 60 innings of a player’s career in T20Is.

Babar and Rizwan scored 113 runs for the first wicket partnership against Namibia, their 5th century-stand as batting partners — the most by any batting partners ever in the shortest format of the game.

They surpassed the Indian duo of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan and New Zealand’s Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson — both have scored four centuries in their partnerships.

The Pakistani openers also became the first ever batting partners in the world to amass 1,000 partnership runs in a calendar year. They’ve scored 1,041 runs this year in 17 partnerships.

Babar Azam, with his 70 off 49 in the innings, broke Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s record as well. He now holds the record of most 50+ scores as a captain in T20Is.

Babar now has 14 50+ scores, including one 100+ score, one more than Kohli. The Indian captain has posted 13 scores of 50 or more.

The flamboyant batsman from Pakistan has now scored 2,402 runs in 60 T20I innings in his career — the most by any batsman at this stage of his T20I career. Kohli, by comparison, had scored 2,167 runs after first 60 T20I innings in his career.

Babar’s batting partner Mohammad Rizwan entered the record books as the first ever cricketer to score 900+ T20I runs in calendar year. No other player has been able to score over 748 in a year.

Rizwan surpassed his team mate Babar (1,607) and Kohli (1,614) in the list of most overall T20 runs in a calendar year.

With 1,651 T20 runs in 2021, Rizwan is now only four runs behind Chris Gayle in the list of most T20 runs in a calendar year. The West Indian had scored 1,665 runs in 2015. The Pakistani wicket keeper batsman is certain to break Gayle’s record this year.

He has also surpassed Kohli in the highest T20I career averages (minimum qualification 1,000 runs) today with an unbeaten 79 today. Rizwan’s career batting average is now 52.66 among all the 73 batsmen who have at least scored 1,000 career runs.

Kohli’s career average is 52.01.

Furthermore, Rizwan became the first player to score ten 50+ scores in T20Is in a calendar year. His tally this year includes a century as well.