LAHORE – Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam etched his name in cricket history by surpassing India’s Virat Kohli for the most fifty-plus scores in Twenty20 internationals during the third and final T20I against South Africa at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.
Babar’s match-winning knock of 68 off 47 balls, studded with nine boundaries, guided Pakistan to a six-wicket victory and sealed the series 2-1. His latest half-century took his tally of fifty-plus scores in T20Is to 40, moving him past Kohli’s 39. India’s Rohit Sharma and Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan follow with 37 and 31, respectively.
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Chasing 140, Pakistan faced an early jolt when opener Saim Ayub departed for a duck, but Babar’s steady innings anchored the chase. He shared a 36-run stand with Sahibzada Farhan and later added 76 runs for the third wicket with skipper Salman Ali Agha, who contributed 33 off 26 balls.
Earlier, Pakistan’s bowling attack, led by Shaheen Afridi and Salman Mirza, restricted South Africa to 139 for nine in their 20 overs. The disciplined performance set the stage for Babar’s record-breaking innings and Pakistan’s series-clinching win. Both teams will now move to Faisalabad for the three-match ODI series scheduled from November 4 to 8.
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