Pakistan comfortably defeated Sri Lanka in a record-breaking Test match at Galle, thanks to Babar Azam and young batting sensation, Abdullah Shafique, who both scored a hundred in the first and second innings respectively.
In addition to being Pakistan’s second-highest chase in Test cricket history, the win equaled Babar Azam with Waqar Younis for the most Test victories after 12 matches as captain. He surpassed the likes of Imran Khan, Saleem Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, and Wasim Akram.
| Captain | Won |
| Babar Azam | 8 |
| Waqar Younis | 8 |
| Imran Khan | 7 |
| Saleem Malik | 7 |
| Misbah-ul-Haq | 6 |
| Wasim Akram | 5 |
Earlier this week, the all-format captain had equaled former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq for the most hundreds as Pakistani captain after scoring his seventh Test century on the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle.
It is worth noting that under Babar Azam’s captaincy, Pakistan has chased their highest-ever totals in T20I and ODI, as well as the second-highest total in Test cricket.
He is also the second captain, after Misbah-ul-Haq, to defeat South Africa in three-match ODI series at their home and to triumph over Australia in the same format after 20 years.
With the recent victory, Pakistan moved to third place on the Test championship points table and possibly needs to win four out of their six matches to reach the world Test championship final.
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Babar Azam also has the record of most runs in a series as captain and most runs in an ODI series. Both in ODI, and he’s also the fastest to 2500 runs in T20s. He just needs to stay captain for 2 more years and it won’t just be good for cricket but even our other sports. In fact, there’s a strong correlation and even causation between Babar Azam’s captaincy and the growth of other leagues like the Kashmir Premier League and many other sports in Pakistan, and even athletics. If he stays with the national side and doesn’t participate in the KPL, and of course, when he doesn’t play for other sports, it motivates other players to work as hard so they can fill the shoes of the modern-day Bradman. He should continue to allow other minions to try and make a name for themselves in such leagues, while he stays focused on national cricket and the PSL. That’s where he’s most successful. Especially, as captain. This will allow the KPL minions to try and compete with him in desperation and improve their performance. If there’s any other sport he wishes to participate in or promote, it’s field hockey. Cricket and field hockey. And kabaddi, too. He should be there in the stands so more people want to watch these sports like they want to watch him when he plays cricket.