Babar Azam set to break Imran Khan's Test record against West Indies

Babar Azam, a cornerstone of Pakistan’s batting lineup, is set to play a crucial role in the upcoming series against the West Indies. The Lahore-born batter, renowned for his elegant stroke play, is on the brink of surpassing one of Pakistan’s cricketing legends, Imran Khan, in the all-time run tally against the Caribbean side.  

Currently, Imran Khan stands as Pakistan's fifth-highest run-scorer against the West Indies in international cricket with 1,977 runs. Babar, with 1,676 runs across all formats, needs just 302 runs to overtake the legendary all-rounder.  

The two cricketing greats also share an identical record of 11 half-centuries against the West Indies. A single half-century in the upcoming series would see Babar move ahead of Imran in this record as well, further cementing his legacy.  

Babar’s recent performances have shown glimpses of his brilliance. After enduring a challenging phase during home Test matches, he silenced critics with notable contributions during the South Africa series, amassing 193 runs, including three crucial half-centuries. His average of 48.25 in the series highlights his growing consistency.  

Notably, Babar has already broken a significant record previously held by Imran Khan. In 2022, as Pakistan's captain, he scored 114 runs against Australia, surpassing Imran's long-standing record of 82 runs in an innings as captain against the Aussies, set in 1990. 

The two-match Test series against the West Indies will commence in Multan, with the first Test scheduled to begin on January 17, followed by the second Test starting on January 25.