Babar Azam silenced his critics and ecstatic fans alike on Friday, November 14, 2025, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, scoring his first international century in 807 days. The stylish right-hander's drought-ending innings came in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, where he remained unbeaten on 102 off 119 balls, guiding Pakistan to an emphatic eight-wicket victory and an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Azam's last international century was against Nepal in the Asia Cup in August 2023. Since then, he had gone 83 innings across all formats without reaching the coveted three-figure mark. In the intervening period, he frequently reached fifty, but failed to convert those starts into centuries.
The innings was Babar's 32nd international century and his 20th in ODIs, equalling Saeed Anwar's record for the most ODI centuries by a Pakistani batter. Babar reached the milestone in just 136 innings, while Anwar took 244 innings to reach the same number. This highlights Babar's remarkable consistency in the 50-over format. He now jointly holds the record with Saeed Anwar for the most centuries for Pakistan in ODIs. Of his 32 centuries, nine have been in Test matches and three in T20Is. Along with his centuries, Babar boasts 104 half-centuries across all formats.
Babar's innings was characterized by patience and calculated aggression. He arrived at the crease after a solid opening partnership of 77 runs between Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman. He started cautiously, rotating the strike and taking 23 balls to hit his first boundary. He reached his half-century in 68 balls and then accelerated, completing his century off 115 deliveries with eight fours. He shared a 100-run partnership with Fakhar Zaman and an unbeaten 112-run partnership with Mohammad Rizwan.
Adding a layer of intrigue to Babar's achievement is a remarkable coincidence with Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli. Before this innings, Babar had gone 83 innings without a century, the same number of innings Kohli went between his 70th and 71st international centuries. Kohli's century drought spanned from 2019 to 2022.
The crowd at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium erupted in celebration as Babar reached his century, chanting his name and acknowledging his importance to Pakistan cricket. Babar himself expressed relief and gratitude, stating that he had been waiting for this century as much as the fans.
With this century, Babar has once again cemented his place as one of the premier batsmen in world cricket. The innings not only broke his century drought but also showcased his resilience, determination, and ability to perform under pressure.
