Pakistan’s standout batsman Babar Azam’s wait for an international century extended on Tuesday, as he was removed for 29 in the first One-Day International against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The brilliant right-hander, who last hit a century against Nepal in the Asia Cup 2023, now has 83 innings without a century, matching Virat Kohli’s record for the longest such gap in international cricket.
The series opener marked Sri Lanka’s first bilateral ODI in Pakistan since 2019, with the Charith Asalanka-led team opting to bowl first. Pakistan, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, made one change from the last ODI, substituting Naseem Shah for the ill Abrar Ahmed. The hosts had hoped for a great start, but Pakistan’s top order did not perform as expected. Saim Ayub left early for Asitha Fernando, placing strain on the middle order. Babar then joined Fakhar Zaman at the crease, hoping to calm the innings and play an anchor role.
Wanindu Hasaranga removes Babar Azam with googly
The right-handed batter facing Maheesh Theekshana got off the mark with two boundaries, including a cut past backward point, followed by a drive over cover. Alongside Fakhar, Babar helped rebuild Pakistan’s innings with a 54-run partnership for the second wicket, stabilising the innings after the early loss.
But once the Sri Lankan spinners came in, scoring runs became tough. The batter’s strike rate dipped as Wanindu Hasaranga and Theekshana bowled at tight lines. On 29 from 51 balls, Babar faced Hasaranga’s well-disguised googly that came in from outside off. The Pakistan batter leaned forward to defend, giving a slight gap between bat and pad. The ball spun and sneaked through to clip the top of the off-stump.
Babar Azam vs Pakistan
A player of all time👏 pic.twitter.com/IEcN51V1tJ
— ħ (@shaheenhive) November 11, 2025
The dismissal once again saw Babar’s ongoing struggle to convert starts into big scores, a pattern that has remained across formats over the past two years. With this innings, his drought officially reached 800 days. Despite losing their captain, Pakistan managed to post 299/5, thanks to Agha Salman’s unbeaten 105 and 62 from Hussain Talat. The lower order provided the late push that Pakistan needed to reach close to 300 on a good batting surface.
India
