On top of the world! Babar Azam breaks Rohit Sharma's big T20 record; Pakistan crush South Africa

Pakistan’s premier batter Babar Azam etched his name into cricket’s record books on Friday, surpassing Rohit Sharma to become the highest run-scorer in men’s T20 internationals, as Pakistan crushed South Africa by nine wickets to level the three-match series 1-1.

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Babar, recalled for his first T20 series in nearly a year, needed just nine runs to go past Rohit’s tally of 4,231 runs. The former Pakistan captain reached the milestone in his typically composed fashion — with a gentle single driven off spinner Donovan Ferreira to long-off — before finishing unbeaten on 11. He now has 4,234 runs in 130 matches, including 36 fifties and three centuries, at a strike rate of 129.




The record comes as a moment of redemption for the 31-year-old, who had missed the chance to break it in the first match after falling for a two-ball duck. His return among runs — and to Pakistan’s T20 setup — was timely, following criticism over his exclusion from the Asia Cup, where Pakistan struggled against India.

Most runs in T20Is

• 4234 - Babar Azam
• 4231 - Rohit Sharma
• 4188 - Virat Kohli
• 3869 - Jos Buttler
• 3710 - Paul Stirling

While Babar’s milestone dominated headlines, it was Saim Ayub’s explosive unbeaten 71 off 38 balls that sealed Pakistan’s emphatic win. The left-hander, who endured a nightmare Asia Cup with four ducks, rediscovered his touch in spectacular style — smashing five sixes and six fours as Pakistan chased down 111 in just 13.1 overs.

“Saim is someone who can play for the next 10 years and become the player we all want him to be,” captain Salman Ali Agha said after the game. “We bowled really well up front, and when you bowl that well you’re always going to win the game.”

Earlier, Pakistan’s bowlers had dismantled South Africa for 110, with Salman Mirza (3-14) and Faheem Ashraf (4-23) sharing seven wickets.

South Africa’s stand-in captain Donovan Ferreira admitted his team was outplayed.

“There isn’t much time to reflect,” Ferreira said. “The wicket got a lot better with the dew settling. You just have to move on.”

The third and deciding T20 will be played on Saturday, with the series tantalisingly poised — and Babar Azam standing tall as T20 cricket’s new run king.
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