‘Arreah road pe 100 toh koi bhi maar le’ – Fans react as Pakistan skipper Babar Azam scores his 18th ODI century in fourth ODI against New Zealand

After winning the first three ODIs against New Zealand in the five-match ODI series, Pakistan locked horns against Blackcaps in the fourth ODI on Friday, May 5, at the National Stadium, in Karachi. In this match, Pakistan’s skipper, Babar Azam scored his 18th ODI century of his international career. Before getting dismissed he scored 107 runs off 117 balls which included 10 fours in his innings.

Babar completed a unique accomplishment in the fourth ODI, surpassing Hashim Amla and Virat Kohli to take the top spot. As soon as he hit his 19th run in the fourth ODI against the Kiwis, Babar reached his milestone of 5000 runs in ODIs. He has passed the 5000-run milestone more quickly than any other player.

Babar Azam has win percentage of  68.75 in ODIs

Babar took only 97 innings to complete the feat. Hashim Amla of South Africa previously held the record for accumulating 5000 runs in the shortest amount of time in one-day international cricket, doing it in just 101 innings. Virat Kohli of India, on the other side, completed in 114 innings. In 2015, the 28-year-old made his ODI debut for Pakistan. He then used his superb hitting to help the team win more games. He has 5000 runs for Pakistan in 98 ODIs, including 17 hundred. In addition to this, he has 26 half-centuries, and 158 is his highest ODI score.

By defeating New Zealand by 26 runs in the third ODI at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday, Pakistan won their 13th ODI match in their previous 15 games under the leadership of Babar Azam to establish a commanding 3-0 lead in the five-match series. By doing so, Babar Azam has surpassed Salim Malik’s record for having the greatest victory % among Pakistani captains (minimum 20 ODIs).

Babar Azam has guided his team to victories in 16 of the 24 ODIs so far, bringing his ODI win percentage as captain to 68.75 percent. With 21 victories in 34 ODIs, Salim Malik has a winning percentage of 64.7. Waqar Younis, a former bowler, has the second-best record with a win percentage of 61.66 after winning 37 ODIs in 62 games.

Here’s how fans reacted on Babar Azam’s century:

https://twitter.com/StrawHatLuffy7x/status/1654486819902218243

https://twitter.com/HiiChintu/status/1654487452021604353

https://twitter.com/AkshatOM10/status/1654486805901717513

Babar currently the best batsman in the world on flat tracks(roads) but has a poor record in ICC tournaments.

— Chetan Bhat (@chetdb) May 5, 2023

https://twitter.com/bholination/status/1654490905301090304

https://twitter.com/AhmadRehanKhan/status/1654493840143708170

#BabarAzam Goat ❤

— Wali Rehman (@walirehman903) May 5, 2023

https://twitter.com/_FaridKhan/status/1654487447143608332