Babar Azam on the Verge of Breaking Two Major ODI Records

Lahore: Pakistan’s star batter **Babar Azam** is on the brink of achieving **two major milestones** in One Day International (ODI) cricket as Pakistan and **South Africa** gear up for their three-match ODI series starting **today (Tuesday)** at **Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad**.

The **31-year-old former captain** is just **one century away** from equaling or surpassing the **national record for most ODI centuries** held by legendary opener **Saeed Anwar**.
Saeed Anwar scored **20 centuries in 247 matches**, while Babar Azam has already hit **19 centuries in just 134 matches**. A single hundred in the upcoming series will make him **Pakistan’s all-time leading century-maker in ODIs**.

Babar is also closing in on another international landmark — becoming the **second-fastest player in the world** to reach **20 ODI centuries**.
He has reached 19 hundreds in **131 innings**, and if he scores one more in the next two innings, he will surpass **Virat Kohli**, who took **133 innings** to achieve the feat. The record for the fastest 20 ODI centuries still belongs to **Hashim Amla**, who accomplished it in just **108 innings**.

The second and third ODIs between Pakistan and South Africa will be played on **November 6 and 8** at the same venue. The series also marks the **historic return of international cricket to Faisalabad**, which last hosted an ODI on **April 11, 2008**, when Pakistan defeated **Bangladesh** by seven wickets.

So far, both teams have faced each other **87 times** in ODIs — **Pakistan winning 34**, **South Africa 52**, while **one match ended without a result**.