Lahore, October 13, 2025 – Pakistan’s batting maestro Babar Azam carved his name into cricketing history during the first Test against South Africa at Gaddafi Stadium, becoming the first Pakistani and eighth overall batter to surpass 3,000 runs in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). The 30-year-old reached the milestone with a boundary off Senuran Muthusamy in his 37th WTC match, ending the day with 23 before falling lbw to Simon Harmer.
Babar’s 3,021 WTC runs include eight centuries and 18 half-centuries, placing him among elite company: England’s Joe Root (6,080), Australia’s Steve Smith (4,278), Marnus Labuschagne (4,225), Ben Stokes (3,616), Travis Head (3,300), Usman Khawaja (3,288), and England’s Zak Crawley (3,041). Root leads the all-time list, while Babar’s efficiency—matching the fewest innings among top Asians—sets him apart.
His milestone energized Pakistan’s innings, which reached 258 all out, thanks to Shan Masood’s 84 and Imam-ul-Haq’s 74. Fans erupted as Babar, absent from recent limited-overs squads, reaffirmed his Test class. “He’s a world-beater,” tweeted ex-captain Azhar Ali. With the 2025-27 WTC cycle underway, Babar’s feat signals Pakistan’s intent to climb from last cycle’s bottom rank.
