BABAR AZAM REVEALS HIS FAVORITE ODI CENTURY
Babar Azam as we speak is one of the greatest ODI players ever played for Pakistan, at the age of 28, he is already on his way towards greatness. Babar Azam in just 99 ODI matches he has played so far in his ODI career has scored 18 ODI centuries for Pakistan and out of all those 14 centuries are in the winning cause for Pakistan.
Babar Azam has scored the second most number of ODI centuries by a Pakistani player ever in the history of ODI cricket, he is just behind ‘’ SAEED ANWAR ‘’ in the list of most ODI centuries by a Pakistani player ever in history.
In a special interview with Babar Azam to honor him as he was going to play his 100TH ODI match for Pakistan. He will be playing his 100TH ODI match on his home soil, which will be the fifth and final ODI match of the series against New Zealand in Pakistan.
Even though Babar Azam has a very short ODI career till now but still he has played some of the best knocks a player can imagine in his career, at such young age scored three consecutive centuries vs West Indies, no one can forget his century vs Australia in Australia, followed by his centuries against Sri Lanka, one of his fastest ODI century against Zimbabwe, his highest ODI score of 158 against England in England, ODI century against South Africa in winning cause in their own backyard, his incredible century vs Australia to chase down a target of around 350 in ODI cricket and many more that he has played for Pakistan cricket team.
Babar Azam was asked to reveal his favorite ODI innings, out of all those 18 ODI centuries he has scored for Pakistan in his One-Day International career, Babar Azam felt very difficult as he named that third consecutive century against West Indies which helped him to change his mindset, but to choose one out of all those he eventually picked one of his famous all-timer knock of 101* vs New Zealand.
‘’ For me, the three consecutive centuries against West Indies were the turning point of my career, because of those centuries my mindset changed and are very memorable for me ‘’, Babar Azam on his consecutive centuries against West Indies.
Pakistani captain, Babar Azam named his century against Australia and was going to name all of his centuries as his favorite knocks but then because he was told to pick one (laughs), he came up with the knock against New Zealand and also explained the reason why he picked that century.
‘’ We restricted New Zealand for a very good total which could be chased but then the weather changed and then there was a lot of assist for the spinners but then there was a partnership between me and Haris (Sohail) which changed the game and we decided to just milk down the spinners for just 5-6 RPO and decided to take on the fast bowlers and dominate them ‘’, Babar Azam explained the whole scenario of that century vs New Zealand in a knockout World Cup game.
‘’ Haris Sohail came in and dominated the spinners for a while which shifted the momentum, then there was a partnership between us and we decided to take the game on – at the end I decided to attack their spinner, I swept one, and that was executed well so I did that again which was connected even better and at the end we won the match ‘’, he further added.
Babar Azam scored this century against New Zealand in a do-or-die pressure match that too in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, he scored an impressive century of 101 not out with 11 fours and took his team home which eventually also helped him to win his first Man Of The Match award in a World Cup game.
