Babar Azam smashes fifty vs Australia, surpasses Virat Kohli’s T20I record

Babar Azam struck a brilliant half-century against Australia to break Virat Kohli’s long-standing record in T20 Internationals.

Babar Azam (Image Credit: ICC)

In the 3rd T20I match between Pakistan and Australia, Babar Azam displayed terrific batting performance, slamming an unbeaten half-century in Lahore. He helped Pakistan put up their highest total on the board against Australia in the T20Is which is 207 runs. Apart from this, Babar also surpassed Virat Kohli's record of highest fifties in the format. Previously, Kohli led the list with 38 half-centuries.

But today, Babar crossed him, scoring his 39th in the shortest format of the game. Other than then, Rohit Sharma is in the third position with 32, Mohammad Rizwan with 30, and David Warner and Jos Buttler with 28 half-centuries in the T20Is. All the above mentioned players were outstanding in the format, making it interesting for the viewers throughout the years.

Most fifties in T20Is
39 - Babar Azam*
38 - Virat Kohli
32 - Rohit Sharma
30 - Mohammad Rizwan
28 - David Warner / Jos Buttler

The total is more than competitive: Babar Azam

Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam played an incredible innings in the third T20I match against Australia where he scored an unbeaten 50 off 36 balls, including three boundaries and one six. This innings was quite important for Babar's own confidence and for Pakistan as well since he is in the T20I squad for the World Cup 2026. He heaped praises on Saim Ayub who also scored 56 off 37 balls.

"The total is more than competitive, especially considering the pitch wasn’t easy to bat on. I thought Saim Ayub played an outstanding innings, showing great intent under challenging conditions. One of the key things we always talk about is reading the conditions early and then shaping the game plan accordingly," said Babar Azam after the first innings.

"Batting at a new position means you have to manage the innings, stay positive and respond to the situation, whether it’s building partnerships or accelerating when required," he added.

Where to watch ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 matches?

Cricket fans in India can watch the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 matches from February 7 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

Also read: Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson: Who should open for India?

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