Pakistan captain Babar Azam faced disappointment on Day 3 of the 3rd Test against England at Edgbaston, falling short of his first Test century in four years. Babar was well-set at 76 runs when he succumbed to a short-ball tactic employed by England throughout the series. As Josh Tongue bowled a delivery targeting Babar’s body, the Pakistan skipper attempted a risky flap shot. The result was a thin edge that was caught by wicketkeeper Jordan Cox, ending Babar’s promising innings and highlighting England’s effective bowling strategy against him.
His latest dismissal extended Babar’s wait for a Test century to nearly four years, with his last hundred coming against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022, when he scored 161. Despite the dismissal, Babar had his slice of history as he became the fifth Pakistani skipper to reach 2,000 Test runs and only the second one after Misbah-ul-Haq to have 7,000 runs or more as a captain for his country. Babar also joined Misbah (7,392 runs) as the second Pakistan captain to have 7,000 runs. In 152 international matches as captain, Babar has made 7,029 runs at an average of 47.17, with 15 centuries and 54 fifties in 163 innings, with a best score of 196.
