Babar Azam achieves huge feat during ongoing PAK vs RSA first Test

hemanth — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 18:12:21 GMT

Babar Azam becomes the first Asian batter to score 3,000 runs in World Test Championship

Pakistan’s premier batter Babar Azam marked his return to Test cricket with a historic achievement during the first Test against South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday, October 12. Although he was dismissed for 23, the 30-year-old etched his name into the record books by becoming the first Asian cricketer to surpass 3,000 runs in the World Test Championship (WTC).

Babar needed just two runs to reach the milestone before the game and achieved it in style with a boundary off Senuran Muthusamy in the 49th over. With this feat, he joined an elite list of eight players who have crossed the 3,000-run mark in the history of the WTC.

Most Runs in World Test Championship History

Rank	Player	Team	Runs	Matches
1	Joe Root	England	6,080	69
2	Steve Smith	Australia	4,278	55
3	Marnus Labuschagne	Australia	4,225	53
4	Ben Stokes	England	3,616	57
5	Travis Head	Australia	3,300	52
6	Usman Khawaja	Australia	3,288	43
7	Zak Crawley	England	3,041	52
8	Babar Azam	Pakistan	3,003	37

Top Asian Run-Scorers in World Test Championship

Rank	Player	Team	Runs	Matches
1	Babar Azam	Pakistan	3,003	37
2	Shubman Gill	India	2,826	39
3	Rishabh Pant	India	2,731	38
4	Rohit Sharma	India	2,716	40
5	Dimuth Karunaratne	Sri Lanka	2,642	35

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Match Summary – Pakistan vs South Africa, 1st Test, Lahore

Pakistan opted to bat first in their first home Test in nearly three years and got off to a mixed start. Opener Abdullah Shafique fell early for just two runs, but Imam-ul-Haq and captain Shan Masood steadied the innings with a brilliant 161-run stand for the second wicket.

However, the Proteas bounced back in the second session as spinners Senuran Muthusamy, Prenelan Subrayen, and Simon Harmer exploited the dry surface to restrict Pakistan from 163/1 to 199/5.

Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan then took charge, ensuring Pakistan ended the day in a stable position heading into the final session.

Pakistan Playing XI

Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan

South Africa Playing XI

Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Senuran Muthusamy, Prenelan Subrayen, Kagiso Rabada, Simon Harmer

A Milestone to Remember

With this achievement, Babar Azam has reaffirmed his stature as one of modern cricket’s most consistent Test performers. The right-hander, who has already registered 8 centuries and 18 half-centuries in WTC cricket, now sits just 20 runs shy of overtaking England’s Zak Crawley on the all-time WTC run charts.

His return to form also comes as a major boost for Pakistan, who are starting a new WTC cycle under Shan Masood’s captaincy, looking to rebuild momentum in red-ball cricket.