Babar Azam Ends 733 Days Wait To Score Half-Century In Test Cricket

Last Updated:December 29, 2024, 06:48 IST

Babar came out to bat at No. 3 for Pakistan in the 2nd innings of the ongoing first Test against South Africa on Saturday and, with the help of nine fours, scored 50 runs from 85 balls.

Babar Azam scored his first Test fifty after 733 days on Saturday. (Picture Credit: X/@TheRealPCB)

Star Pakistani batter and former captain Babar Azam ended his more than two-year-long wait for scoring a half-century in Test cricket on Saturday, December 28. The right-handed batter came out to bat at No. 3 for the Shan Masood-led side in the second innings of the ongoing first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion and scored 50 runs from 85 balls with the help of nine fours.

Babar, who made his comeback to the Test side in the ongoing match, last scored a half-century in the five-day format of the game on December 26, 2022. In the Boxing Day Test played against New Zealand at National Stadium in Karachi, Babar scored 161 runs from 280 balls as a No. 4 batter in the first innings.

Since scoring his ninth Test century, Babar registered scores of 14, 24, 27, 13, 24, 39, 21, 14, 1, 41, 26, 23, 0, 22, 31, 11, 30, 5, and 4 runs before finally ending his 733-day-long wait on Saturday.

Babar, who has served as Pakistan’s captain in all three formats of the game in the past, was dropped from the Test team in October 2024 for the last two matches of the home series against England due to poor form. He was replaced by Kamran Ghulam in the playing XI, and the right-handed batter justified his selection by scoring a century in his first Test innings.

Despite the absence of Babar, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah, Pakistan managed to get the better of England in the last two matches of the home series and win the first Test series under Shan Masood’s leadership.

PAK all out for 237 in 2nd innings

Thanks to Babar’s 50 and Saud Shakeel’s 84, Pakistan managed to score 237 runs in the second innings of the Test series opener in Centurion. For South Africa, pacer Marco Jansen picked up six wickets for 52 runs in 14 overs, and two Pakistani batters were sent back to the pavilion by Kagiso Rabada. Debutant Corbin Bosch and Dane Paterson were also among the wickets in the second innings and got rid of one opposition batter each.