(AP Photo)
On Thursday, Babar Azam surpassed Virat Kohli as the highest run-scorer in T20I history during Pakistan’s T20 World Cup match against the USA in Dallas.
Before the game, Babar trailed Kohli by 15 runs (4038 runs from 113 matches). He scored 44 runs off 43 balls, overtaking Kohli’s record, bringing his total to 4067 runs from 120 matches.
Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, ranks third with 4026 runs from 152 matches, followed by Paul Stirling (3591 runs) and Martin Guptill (3531 runs).
Most Runs in T20I Cricket
1 Babar Azam 4067
2 Virat Kohli 4038
3 Rohit Sharma 4026
4 Paul Stirling 3591
6 Mohammad Rizwan 3212
7 David Warner 3155
8 Aaron Finch 3120
9 Jos Buttler 3050
10 Kane Williamson 2547
Although Babar reached a personal milestone, Pakistan’s World Cup journey began on a sour note with a surprising loss to the USA, their first-ever encounter at the international level.
Pakistan batted first, managing a respectable 159/7. USA’s captain, Monank Patel, led the charge with a half-century as they matched Pakistan’s total, resulting in a tie.
The winner was determined by a Super Over, in which USA successfully defended their 18-run total, marking a historic moment.
Acknowledging the upset, Babar conceded that Pakistan performed poorly in all aspects of the game and attributed their defeat to the failure of the bowlers to take wickets.
“I am upset. We weren’t up to the mark in all three departments. We are better than that in the bowling, we didn’t take wickets in the first six overs. In the middle overs (either), our spinners didn’t pick wickets and it put pressure on us. And after 10 overs, we did come back but the way they (USA) finished the game in the Super Over, credit to team,” he said.
