Babar Azam is a prominent figure in T20 cricket, and the pace at which he is scoring runs in the format is remarkable. The Pakistani batter is indeed on track to join the list of top run-scorers in T20 Internationals.
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 | 11 | 11 | 430 | 68* | 47.77 | 128.35 | 0/5 |
| Bangladesh | 8 | 8 | 195 | 66* | 27.85 | 105.97 | 0/2 |
| Canada | 1 | 1 | 33 | 33 | 33.00 | 100.00 | 0/0 |
| England | 18 | 17 | 660 | 110* | 47.14 | 141.02 | 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 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4.00 | 80.00 | 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 | 13 | 13 | 447 | 122 | 34.38 | 141.45 | 1/2 |
| Sri Lanka | 8 | 8 | 114 | 34* | 16.28 | 89.06 | 0/0 |
| U.S.A. | 1 | 1 | 44 | 44 | 44.00 | 102.32 | 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 | 7 | 6 | 232 | 82 | 38.66 | 124.06 | 0/3 |
| TOTAL | 128 | 121 | 4223 | 122 | 39.83 | 129.22 | 3/36 |
Key Stats
Evidently, Babar Azam has played a significant portion of his T20I career (more than 60%) against five top teams: England, Australia, West Indies, South Africa, and New Zealand. His batting average against these strong sides has been brilliant, especially considering T20 standards.
His highest T20I score of 122 came against South Africa on April 14, 2021. You can watch the video of that special Babar knock, which helped Pakistan successfully chase down South Africa’s 200+ target. You can also find a list of teams with the most 200+ scores in T20I here.
The Pakistani star batsman has consistently performed well, earning 6 “Man of the Match” awards against six different sides and 5 “Man of the Series” awards in T20Is.
The only team against whom Babar has consistently looked troubled is Sri Lanka. He has his lowest batting average and strike rate against Pakistan’s Asian counterpart, with a high score of 34 runs in T20Is against them.
Babar Azam now tops the T20I 50+ scores chart with 36 half-centuries and 3 centuries, and he also holds the record for the most 30+ scores.
Related: For fans of cricketing techniques, here is a neat read about the factors influencing Babar Azam’s clinical batting techniques and shots.
