Babar Azam is a prominent figure in T20I cricket. And the pace at which he is scoring runs in the format is remarkable.
However, a common claim suggests that a significant portion of his runs have come against weaker opponents. To address this, we have prepared an analytical report examining his batting performances against each opponent country.
Babar Azam T20I Runs vs Each Country
| OPPONENTS | MATCHES | INNINGS | RUNS | HIGH SCORE | AVERAGE | STRIKE RATE | 100s/50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 2 | 2 | 51 | 51 | 25.50 | 106.25 | 0/1 |
| Australia | 14 | 14 | 506 | 68* | 46.00 | 127.77 | 0/6 |
| Bangladesh | 8 | 8 | 195 | 66* | 27.85 | 105.97 | 0/2 |
| Canada | 1 | 1 | 33 | 33 | 33.00 | 100.00 | 0/0 |
| England | 19 | 18 | 685 | 110* | 45.66 | 139.22 | 1/4 |
| Honk Kong | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 9.00 | 112.50 | 0/0 |
| India | 5 | 5 | 105 | 68* | 26.25 | 128.04 | 0/1 |
| Ireland | 4 | 4 | 164 | 75 | 54.66 | 133.33 | 0/2 |
| Namibia | 1 | 1 | 70 | 70 | 70.00 | 142.85 | 0/1 |
| Netherlands | 2 | 2 | 19 | 15 | 9.50 | 82.60 | 0/0 |
| New Zealand | 26 | 24 | 880 | 101* | 41.90 | 131.93 | 1/8 |
| Scotland | 1 | 1 | 66 | 66 | 66.00 | 140.42 | 0/1 |
| South Africa | 16 | 16 | 526 | 122 | 35.06 | 137.33 | 1/3 |
| Sri Lanka | 11 | 11 | 167 | 37* | 18.55 | 89.78 | 0/0 |
| U.S.A. | 2 | 2 | 90 | 46 | 45.00 | 120.00 | 0/0 |
| West Indies | 17 | 14 | 540 | 97* | 49.09 | 127.35 | 0/5 |
| World XI | 3 | 3 | 179 | 86 | 59.66 | 147.93 | 0/1 |
| Zimbabwe | 9 | 8 | 306 | 82 | 38.25 | 126.44 | 0/4 |
| TOTAL | 145 | 136 | 4596 | 122 | 38.94 | 128.02 | 3/39 |
Key Insights on Babar Azam’s T20I Performance by Opponent
Dominant Batting Records Against Australia and England
Babar is the top run-scorer for Pakistan against Australia and England in T20Is.
Babar is one of the four batters to smash five or more fifties against Australia in T20Is.
He has the highest batting average and strike rate among Pakistani batters against England in T20Is (minimum 100 balls faced).
The right-hander is also one of the two Pakistani batters to smash five or more fifty-plus scores against England.
And he is the only Pakistani batter to score a T20I century against England. His unbeaten 110 off 66 balls is the fourth-highest individual score by a batter against England in T20Is.
Record-Breaking Stats vs New Zealand and South Africa
The top-order batter has scored the most runs against New Zealand among all batters in T20Is.
Babar is the only Pakistani batter to smash five or more fifty-plus scores against New Zealand in T20Is.
He also has the second-highest individual score against New Zealand among Pakistani batters, having smashed an unbeaten 101 off 58 balls in the 2023 Lahore T20I.
Babar is the lone batter to score more than 70 fours against New Zealand in the shortest format.
Babar has hammered the second-highest individual score against South Africa in T20Is. He scored 122 runs from 59 balls in the 2021 Centurion T20I. This was his first-ever century and remains his highest score in the T20I format.
He is among a few batters who have scored 500-plus runs against South Africa in the shortest format.
Performance Metrics Against West Indies and Zimbabwe
Babar is the only Pakistani batter to score 500-plus runs against the West Indies in T20Is, though his strike rate of around 127 is the second-lowest among his countrymen (minimum 100 balls faced).
His average of around 49, however, is the third-highest by a Pakistani batter against the West Indies in T20Is.
Babar is the top run-scorer for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in T20Is, with his four fifty-plus scores also being the most against them.
Batting Challenges and Consistency Against Other Nations
Babar has been clearly struggling against Sri Lanka, with his average below 20 and the strike rate below 90.
He is, in fact, one of the five batters to strike below 100 against Sri Lanka in this format (minimum 100 balls faced).
Babar has the highest batting average by a Pakistani batter against Ireland in T20Is, close to 54.
Babar is one of the two batters to score 500 or more runs against four teams in T20Is.
Babar is one of the two batters to score 50 or more fours against four opponents in T20Is.
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