Ever since returning to the T20I setup, Pakistan fans were eagerly waiting to see a noteworthy performance from Babar Azam, and the right-hander finally turned up against Zimbabwe in the fourth match of the Tri-Nation T20I series, also involving Sri Lanka. The game played on Sunday saw the former Pakistan captain smashing 74 runs off 52 balls with the help of seven boundaries and two sixes, and this effort helped the hosts post 195/5 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Owing to this knock, Babar registered his 38th T20I half-century, the joint-most by any batter in the shortest format. The 31-year-old is now on equal terms with Virat Kohli in the list of scoring the most fifties in T20Is.
Babar has taken 134 matches and 127 innings to register his 38th half-century, while Virat has the same number of fifties in 125 matches and 117 innings. Rohit Sharma is at the third spot in the list with 32 fifties from 159 matches.
Both Virat and Rohit retired from T20Is after winning the World Cup last year in Barbados; hence, it's a given that Babar will soon become the holder of the most fifties in T20Is.
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In T20Is, Babar has surpassed the 50-run mark on 41 occasions, while Virat and Rohit have done so 39 and 37 times, respectively.
{{/usCountry}}In T20Is, Babar has surpassed the 50-run mark on 41 occasions, while Virat and Rohit have done so 39 and 37 times, respectively.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking of Babar, he made his way to the T20I setup after the Men's Asia Cup, where he featured in a three-match series against South Africa, which Pakistan eventually won 2-1.
Heading into the match against Zimbabwe, the pressure was firmly on Babar as he had returned with the scores of 0,11*, 68, 0 and 16 in his last five T20Is.
Recently, Babar also broke his two-year-long century drought by hammering a ton in an ODI against Sri Lanka. This was the first time in 83 innings and 807 innings that Babar went past the three-figure mark in international cricket.
Pakistan register a dominant win
Pakistan, led by Salman Ali Agha, progressed to the final of the Tri-Nation T20I series after beating Zimbabwe by 69 runs on Sunday. Chasing 196, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 126 as Usman Tariq ran riot with four wickets.
The match also saw Tariq registering a hat-trick in the 10th over of the innings as he dismissed Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, and Wellington Masakadza.