- Home
- Sports
Babar Azam on topping ODI rankings: Privileged to have joined the company of stalwarts
YB WEB DESK. Dated: 4/15/2021 11:34:05 AM
New Delhi, Apr 14 Pakistan captain Babar Azam was elated to be crowned the new No. 1 batsman in one-day international cricket on Wednesday and is now setting his sights on leading the Test batting charts. Babar Azam dethroned India captain Virat Kohli from the top of the latest ICC ODI rankings for batsmen after an outstanding series against South Africa where he scored 228 runs in 3 ODIs including a hundred and a fifty. Babar's hundred in the first match in South Africa saw him clinch the record for the fastest to score 13 ODI hundreds in men's cricket, going past the likes of other great players such as Virat Kohli and Hashim Amla. The 26-year-old gained 13 rating points to reach 865 points and he now leads Kohli by 8 points. He is only the fourth batsman from Pakistan to claim the top spot in ODI rankings after Zaheer Abbas (1983-84), Javed Miandad (1988-89), and Mohammad Yousuf (2003). Kohli's reign at the top lasted for 1,258 days. "I feel privileged and honoured to have joined the company of stalwarts like Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad and Mohammad Yousuf, who will always be the shining stars of Pakistan cricket. "This is another milestone in my career, which will now require even more hard work and absolute consistency with the bat in order for me to hold on to the ranking for an extended period of time, like Sir Vivian Richards from January 1984 to October 1988 and Virat Kohli for 1,258 days," said Babar in an official PCB release. "I have also previously topped the T20I rankings, but the ultimate ambition and goal is to lead the Test rankings, which are the real testament and reward to a batsman's calibre, reputation and skills. I understand to achieve this objective, I will not only have to perform consistently, but more importantly, against the top sides," he added.