When Pakistan captain Babar Azam steps out for the toss at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain for the second Test against the West Indies, he will etch his name into the history books. By taking the field on Sunday, the star batter becomes only the third Pakistani cricketer, joining legendary leaders Misbah-ul-Haq and Imran Khan, to captain the national side in 150 international fixtures across all formats.
Babar Azam enters Pakistan captaincy folklore during WI vs PAK 2nd Test
This landmark match arrives during Babar’s second stint as Test skipper, having recently reclaimed the role following Shan Masood’s departure. However, his return to the helm hit an early bump when Pakistan suffered a defeat to the hosts in the series opener at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago.
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Looking to turn things around in the second Test running from August 2 to 6, Babar brings a wealth of leadership experience to the middle. His record includes leading Pakistan in a record 85 T20Is, alongside 43 ODIs and 22 Tests. With 84 international victories under his belt as skipper, he will be desperate to translate this personal milestone into a match-leveling win for the Men in Green.
Babar Azam's captaincy track record
Since taking over the captaincy in 2019 across all three formats, Babar has compiled an impressive statistical record. In 43 ODIs at the helm, he has secured 26 wins against 15 losses, with one tie and one no-result, translating to a strong win rate of 60.46%. His T20I tenure is equally extensive, featuring 48 victories in 85 matches alongside 29 losses, a tie, and seven no-results for a 56.47% success rate. In the longest format, he has guided Pakistan in 22 Tests, winning 10, losing seven, and drawing four to post a 45.45% win record.
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Despite these solid overall numbers, his leadership journey has been plagued by inconsistency from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), primarily stemming from disappointing exits in high-stakes knockout games and major tournaments. Nevertheless, his personal output with the bat while leading the side remains exceptional. Having accumulated 6,820 international runs as captain, Babar now stands on the brink of another milestone: he needs 180 runs in the second Test against the West Indies to reach 7,000 runs as skipper, while trailing the all-time Pakistani record for most runs by a captain by 393 runs.