Pakistan skipper Babar Azam stood tall as wickets fell around him in the first session, scoring a well-deserved century in the Boxing Day Test against the Kiwis in Karachi. (More Cricket News)
κ¦At the end of Day 1, Babar remained unbeaten at 161Β and was assisted by the experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed, who scored a patient 86, before being dismissed in the 86th over.
π½New Zealand held the reins in the first session, but once the shine on the new ball began to wear off, Pakistan took control, especially Babar.
π₯En route to his century, the Pakistan captain broke a 16-year-old record by overtaking countryman Mohammad Yousuf's tally of 2435 runs in a calendar year, which he scored in 2006. Babar currently has 2477 runs in 2022, sitting at 15th position in the all-time "most runs in a calendar year" list.Β Pakistan will hope that their captain builds on his score on Day 2 to enter the top 10, in addition to giving the side the chance to push the visitors on the back foot.
πThat's not all. By scoring his 25th 50+ score in 2022, the 28-year-old became the new record-holder eclipsing former Australia captain Ricky Ponting's tally of 24 half-centuries in 2005.
π The skipper has had a bittersweet year, as his captaincy style has come under fire despite receiving praise for his personal form with the bat.
