Pakistan’s premier batter Babar Azam has added another remarkable achievement to his illustrious career, registering the highest batting average against Australia’s men’s national cricket team among players who have scored at least 500 runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs) against the Kangaroos.
The 31-year-old played a crucial role in Pakistan’s victory in the first ODI against Australia, scoring a composed half-century and anchoring the innings with responsible batting.
Following his latest performance, Babar now holds the record for the best batting average against Australia among batters with a minimum of 500 ODI runs against the six-time world champions.
Babar Azam has accumulated 755 runs in 14 ODI matches against Australia at an impressive average of 68.63. Former South African captain AB de Villiers occupies second place on the list, having scored 1,250 runs in 26 ODIs against Australia at an average of 59.52.
India’s Rohit Sharma ranks third with 2,609 runs at an average of 59.29 against Australia. South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen is fourth, with 578 runs at an average of 57.80, while his compatriot David Miller completes the top five with 1,033 runs at an average of 57.38 against the Australian side.
It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan easily defeated Australia national cricket team by five wickets in the first ODI played in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan successfully chased down Australia’s target of 201 runs in the 43rd over, losing five wickets in the process. Babar Azam top-scored with 69 runs off 94 balls, while Ghazi Ghauri made a valuable contribution of 65 runs.
Opener Sahibzada Farhan was dismissed for 28 runs, while Moaz Sadaqat managed 8 runs. Salman Agha returned to the pavilion after scoring 6 runs, and Arafat Minhas remained unbeaten on 18. For Australia, Nathan Ellis claimed two wickets, while Matthew Kuhnemann, Tanveer Sangha, and Marnus Labuschagne picked up one wicket each.
Read more: Pakistan start ODI series with dominant five-wicket victory over Australia
