Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI: Babar Azam Equals Virat Kohli's Unfortunate Record of 83 Innings Without Century

Pakistan star batter Babar Azam has made an unwanted record of 83 innings without a century, equalling Virat Kohli, who also went through a similar run in international cricket from December 2019 to 2022.

Babar Azam came to bat at number 3 in the 1st innings of the 1st ODI against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi stadium on Tuesday, November 11. The visitors had won the toss and chose to bowl first in the series opener.

Pakistan got off to a very slow start and lost opening batter Saim Ayub cheaply for 6 runs in the first ball of the 5th over by Asitha Fernando. Babar Azam, who is under immense pressure due to his poor run of form, was expected to do something big and possibly score a half-century at least.

However, after a very slow start, Babar Azam was sent off in his 51st ball of the innings through an extraordinary delivery from Wanindu Hasaranga, who found the gap between bat and pad to find the top of off-stump.

With that, Babar's innings ended for just 29 runs and his century-less streak also extended to 83 innings. He equalled Virat Kohli in the list of most innings without a century and the former Pakistan captain is another outing away from overtaking the Indian batting stalwart.

Virat Kohli had ended the century-less streak in his 84th innings against Bangladesh on December 10, 2022, which was his first ton since August 14, 2019 when he smashed 114* against West Indies at the Port of Spain.

Babar Azam will be hoping for a similar fate and bring an end to this unfortunate streak during the 2nd ODI against Sri Lanka on Thursday, November 13. His last ton, across formats, came during the 50-over Asia Cup back in 2023, where he had a score of 151 against Nepal in the group stages.

Most Innings Without Century