Rawalpindi, Oct 2026 : Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam achieved a major career milestone on Sunday, becoming the fifth Pakistani cricketer to score 16,000 runs in international cricket across all three formats. He reached the landmark during the opening match of the ongoing ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
The 32-year-old batter also became Pakistan's third-fastest player to reach the milestone, accomplishing the feat in 399 innings. Only Mohammad Yousuf, who achieved the mark in 388 innings, and Javed Miandad, who took 398 innings, reached the landmark faster among Pakistani players.
Babar joined an elite group comprising Miandad, Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan, all of whom have scored more than 16,000 international runs for Pakistan.
Coming into Sunday's match, Babar needed just seven runs to reach the landmark. Pakistan were asked to bat first after Sri Lanka won the toss, and Babar walked in at No. 3 following the dismissal of opener Saim Ayub in the third over.
The right-handed batter opened his account with an elegant drive against Asitha Fernando before striking another well-timed shot through the off-side to collect three runs. Those runs were enough to take him past the 16,000-run mark in international cricket.
Babar continued to display his trademark strokeplay after achieving the milestone, putting together a fluent innings of 45 runs from 57 deliveries. His knock included six boundaries before he was dismissed by Eshan Malinga.
Although he could not convert his start into a half-century, the innings added another significant achievement to his international career and underlined his importance to Pakistan's batting line-up.
Babar has been one of Pakistan's most prominent batters across formats, having represented the country in Tests, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. His consistency and ability to score runs in different conditions have established him among the leading figures in contemporary international cricket.
The milestone comes as Pakistan host Sri Lanka and England in a three-team ODI series. The competition began on Sunday and features seven matches in a double round-robin format, with each team scheduled to face the other sides.
The top two teams will qualify for the final, which is scheduled to take place at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on October 31.
For Babar, the landmark provides another notable chapter in his international career as Pakistan seek to make the most of home conditions and build momentum ahead of the series decider.
