Azam, 28, broke former South Africa batter Hashim Amla's record as he became the fastest player to 19 ODI centuries after scoring a ton against Nepal in the first match of the Asia Cup 2023 on Wednesday in Multan.
Azam reached this feat in just 102 innings while Amla did it in his 104th.As he broke Amla's record, he also became the fastest player to achieve this feat in ODI cricket.It must be noted that Babar Azam came to bat after Pakistan had an early collapse as they were 25-2 after Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq lost their wickets.The 28-year-old stood tall on the crease and formed a crucial 86-run partnership with Mohammad Rizwan before the wicketkeeper batter got run out in a bizarre way.After Rizwan lost his wicket, Salman Agha came to bat he, too, did not last long and lost his wicket while attempting a reverse-sweep shot to Nepal's Sandeep Lamichhane.After Agha's wicket, Azam formed a solid partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed.Innings taken to score 19 centuries:Babar Azam: 102Hashim Amla: 104Virat Kohli: 124David Warner: 139AB de Villiers: 171It must be noted that Babar (5353 runs) also broke Amla's (5165) record of scoring most runs in 102 innings.