Babar Azam scripts history, becomes fastest to 19 ODI hundreds | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam continued to make waves in the ODI cricket by becoming the fastest batter to score 19 hundreds on Wednesday. The top-ranked ODI batter owned the record during the Asia Cup’s opening match against Nepal in Multan.
The 28-year-old Azam raced to his 19th ODI ton in his 102nd ODI innings, bettering the record of former South Africa batter Hashim Amla who took 104 innings.
Former India skipper and star batter Virat Kohli made his 19th ODI century in 124 innings while Aussie opener David Warner’s feat came in 139 innings. Former South African skipper AB de Villiers had played 171 innings for the same number of hundreds.
Azam also drew level with Pakistan legends Javed Miandad and Saeed Anwar as he now has 31 international hundreds under his belt. He has scored 19 tons in ODIs, 9 in Tests and 3 in T20Is.

Miandad had scored 23 hundreds in Tests and 8 in ODIs whereas Anwar has 20 in ODIs and 11 tons in Tests to his name.
Azam cracked 14 boundaries and four sixes in his whirlwind knock of 151 off 131 balls that helped Pakistan post a mammoth 342/6. Iftikhar Ahmed also scored an unbeaten 109 in 71 balls for his maiden hundred.
Nepal, playing in the Asia Cup for the first time, had bowled well to keep the home team down to 124-4 in the 28th over but were clueless in the final overs against the onslaught from Azam and Ahmed.