Stats: Fastest to 1000 runs in T20I cricket

Pakistani batsman Babar Azam is one of the most consistent batsmen doing the rounds in world cricket. Albeit he hasn’t quite been able to perform thus far in Test cricket, he has been phenomenal in his short, yet dynamic ODI and T20I career. The Lahore-born cricketer recently played in the three-match T20I series against New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sarfraz Ahmed and Co managed to slap the Black Caps with a 3-0 clean sweep and Azam played a pivotal role in their victorious campaign. He faltered in the first match at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. However, he came into his own and scored 40 runs from 41 balls with the help of four boundaries in the second match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Babar surpasses Virat

The third and final match at the same venue turned out to be even more memorable for the 24-year-old. He was adjudged as the Player of the Match as he churned out a match-winning knock of 79 runs from 58 deliveries with seven fours and a couple of blows over the ropes. In the meantime, Azam also surpassed Virat Kohli as the fastest to 1,000 T20I runs.

The Indian captain achieved the same in a mere 27 innings while Babar reached the milestone in 26 innings. However, Babar averages higher than his Indian counterpart. Next in the list is Aaron Finch, the newly appointed ODI captain of Australia, who did the same in 29 innings. Kiwis’ skipper Kane Williamson performed decently in the recently concluded T20I series.

He achieved the feat in 34 innings from 36 matches. Kevin Pietersen, Alex Hales and South African skipper Faf du Plessis are locked, having achieved the milestone in 32 innings from as many matches. Moreover, the swashbuckling Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum feature in the list.

Here are the statistics

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