It took more than two years and 83 attempts, but Babar Azam’s 20th ODI hundred finally arrived late on a chilly Rawalpindi night, drawing him level with Saeed Anwar on Pakistan’s all-time list. By the time he walked into the press room, Friday had drifted into Saturday, yet the Pakistan captain looked lighter, grateful and, above all, relieved.
“The amount of support I got from my fans, not just in Islamabad but everywhere, was great,” Babar said after Pakistan’s series-clinching win over Sri Lanka. “I got support everywhere in Pakistan and it gave me a huge boost. The fans, they never deserted me in my hard times. It’s in those hard times that you work out who your true allies are.”
The innings itself was set up by openers who had already removed the early jeopardy. Even so, recent history reminded everyone that a good platform did not guarantee a landmark; Babar had been getting starts without quite cashing in. He was honest about that pattern. “I got starts in the previous series but I couldn’t convert them into big runs,” he said.
On this occasion the plan was simple. “When our innings began, we wanted to build a partnership. When Fakhar [Zaman] and I were playing, I was giving Fakhar the strike as much as possible, because he’s a player who can change a game. The longer he’s out there, the other team’s in pressure.” The tactic worked; Sri Lanka’s bowlers drifted, the scoreboard grew, and Babar settled.
With Fakhar gone, Mohammad Rizwan picked up the thread. “Then Rizi [Mohammad Rizwan] and I were planning on playing according to the situation and doing what was required. We played according to that and built our partnership. I was backing my strengths and had confidence in myself.” It sounded routine, but every run nudged a weightier milestone closer.
As he moved into the nineties, the tension in the ground was obvious. Pakistan needed only crumbs by then, most of them supplied by an increasingly fluent Rizwan, yet the crowd held its collective breath. With five runs left, Babar nudged a short ball through the leg side and the place erupted. He, by contrast, stayed almost motionless before dropping to his knees in quiet thanks.
“The advice I’d give to any youngster who’s stuck in bad form is belief. You can motivate yourself for a few days but hard work and dedication needs to be there every day,” he said later, the words sounding as much for himself as for anyone listening.
That prolonged barren spell had coincided with questions about technique against spin, a noticeable dip in strike-rate during the middle overs and the daily grind of captaincy. He admitted the period hurt. “It was a tough time,” he said. “But I backed myself, worked on what I needed to improve, as well as my fitness. In the end, it’s about belief. These things will go on in your life and you can get stuck in a negative thought process, asking why it’s all happening to me. But you need to stick to your plan and believe that you’ll get your reward.”
Statistically, the reward is obvious. Twenty ODI hundreds by 31 places him alongside Anwar and within touching distance of a raft of global marks. More importantly for Pakistan’s World Cup ambitions next summer, the knock suggested rhythm rather than mere resistance: a strike-rate above 90, controlled rotation of the strike, and only one genuine chance offered.
Former Pakistan opener Bazid Khan, on television duty, noted the subtle shift. “He did not force the pace early. He trusted the singles, then cashed in when the bowlers missed. That’s Babar at his best – minimal fuss, high output.”
Still, one innings can’t erase two lean years, and Babar acknowledged as much. He pointed to the next month’s white-ball trip to New Zealand and the domestic season that follows. “Consistency,” he told a local radio reporter, “is the real measure. One hundred is nice, a run of scores is nicer.”
Whether this was a turning point or merely a welcome blip will only be clear sometime down the road. For one frosty night, though, Rawalpindi witnessed its favourite son reminding everyone – including, perhaps, himself – exactly why the stands fill whenever he scratches his guard.
No fireworks, no chest-thumping: just a long exhale, a quiet kneel and, in the captain’s own words, belief.
