Pakistan skipper Babar Azam stood tall as wickets fell around him in the first session, scoring a well-deserved century in the Boxing Day Test against the Kiwis in Karachi. (More Cricket News)
At the end of Day 1, Babar remained unbeaten at 161 and was assisted by the experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed, who scored a patient 86, before being dismissed in the 86th over.
New Zealand held the reins in the first session, but once the shine on the new ball began to wear off, Pakistan took control, especially Babar.
En route to his century, the Pakistan captain broke a 16-year-old record by overtaking countryman Mohammad Yousuf's tally of 2435 runs in a calendar year, which he scored in 2006. Babar currently has 2477 runs in 2022, sitting at 15th position in the all-time "most runs in a calendar year" list. Pakistan will hope that their captain builds on his score on Day 2 to enter the top 10, in addition to giving the side the chance to push the visitors on the back foot.
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That's not all. By scoring his 25th 50+ score in 2022, the 28-year-old became the new record-holder eclipsing former Australia captain Ricky Ponting's tally of 24 half-centuries in 2005.
The skipper has had a bittersweet year, as his captaincy style has come under fire despite receiving praise for his personal form with the bat.
