Babar becomes the first Pakistani skipper to make 1000 Test runs in a calendar year

Even after not being in his usual form, Captain Babar Azam set a new test record for Pakistan and surpassed the former Captain Inzamam-Ul-Haq. On day 3 of the second test in the ongoing home series against England, Babar crossed the mark of 1000 Test runs in a calendar year and is the only Pakistani captain to do so.

Babar scored a gitty 54 on 107 balls and passed the mark of the former captain, who had 999 test runs in a year. Inzamam created this record after playing seven tests in the year 2005. Babar took 12 test matches to score 1009 runs this year.

From 2005 till now, many Pakistani captains have come and retired, including the legendary Younis Khan, Misbah-Ul-Haq, and Azhar Ali, but even they couldn’t cross this mark. Babar is in 4th place among the highest test run scorers this year, behind Joe Root, Usman Khawaja, and Johnny Bairstow. 

Babar is only the sixth batsman to cross this mark after Mohsin Khan (the Year 1982), Inzamam-Ul-Haq (the year 2000), Mohammad Yusuf (the year 2006), Younis Khan (the year 2006 and 2014), and Azhar Ali (the year 2016). 

With this achievement, Babar joined the group of Sachin, Lara, Ponting, and his current competitor, Virat Kohli. Kohli did this miracle consecutively three times in a row in the year 2016, 2017, and 2018. Kohli is the only player to do so after Ponting, who did the same in three different years. It is not to say that it was Babar’s year as captain in red-ball. In tests, he scored four tons and six half-centuries, and In T20Is, he took the Pakistani side to the world cup finals in the year 2022.

A quick peek at Babar's 2022 captures the incredible year he has had. Babar scored a career-high 196 against Australia in Karachi in his second Test of the year. In Lahore, he backed it up with fifty runs in each of the two innings of a Test. 

When Pakistan visited Sri Lanka, Babar again took the initiative and ignited the series with 119 and 55 in the first game at Galle. Between July and December, Pakistan did not play a single Test match while the T20 World Cup preparations got underway, and Babar unexpectedly struggled with his form.

However, when December came, Babar was back in the flow and scored a cracking knock of 136 Runs, although it was not enough for Pakistan to win the test. Babar scored one century (136 Runs) and three half-centuries against England, which were not enough to save the hosts from a shameful whitewash.

However, England and Pakistan are both out of the Test Championship race, but this home series defeat will pinch Men in Green for a long time.