Babar Azam slams fourth T20 century: The Pakistani batsman has become the third-fastest to score 5,000 T20 runs.
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During a North group match for the ongoing season of the Vitality T20 Blast between Glamorgan and Somerset in Cardiff, Somerset batsman Babar Azam registered his fourth T20 century and did enough to convert it into his career-best T20 score.
Coming on the back of scores of 6, 0 and 10, Azam touched the three-figure mark tonight to play a potentially match-winning knock away from home.
Opening the batting with wicket-keeper batsman Steven Davies (8), Azam witnessed his team losing two early wickets in the powerplay. Having scored 23 (16) by the end of the powerplay, Azam had got his eye in and banked on the advantage despite the fielders spreading out.
Known for his textbook-style shots, Azam put on display a wide range of shots to showcase his talent in the shortest format. It was on the first delivery of the 11th over when Azam hit a boundary of Andrew Salter to compete his half-century.
It was an unbeaten 110-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Azam and Lewis Goldsworthy (38*) which powered Somerset to 183/3 in 20 overs. It was a boundary off Timm van der Gugten which saw Azam reach the three-figure mark in the penultimate over.
Playing his fifth match of the season, the right-hand batsman ended up scoring 114* (62) with the help of nine fours and two sixes to surpass his previous T20 career-best of 102 (not out). In the process, Azam (145 innings) also became the third-fastest batsman to score 5,000 T20 runs after Chris Gayle (132) and Shaun Marsh (144).
Babar Azam slams fourth T20 century
Stunning 🤩 @babarazam258 has his first #Blast20 hundred!
Watch every boundary in his 114* 👇 pic.twitter.com/0rXCLYgnOg
— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) September 16, 2020
How Twitterati reacted:
More Babar Azam brilliance today:
114 not out (his highest ever T20 score)
62 balls faced
183.87 strike-rate
9 fours
5 sixes#Cricket #T20Blast pic.twitter.com/jXqHNA6Kpg— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) September 16, 2020
FOURTH T20 HUNDRED FOR BABAR AZAM 🔥
Runs 1️⃣1️⃣4️⃣
Balls 6️⃣2️⃣
SR 1️⃣8️⃣3️⃣⚬8️⃣7️⃣
Fours 9️⃣
Sixes 5️⃣Somerset finish on 183/3 from their 20 overs against Glamorgan 👏#Blast20 💥 pic.twitter.com/wrOvY89kSj
— Cricingif (@_cricingif) September 16, 2020
A magnificent 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ from Babar Azam!!! 🔥🔥🔥
LIVE STREAM -> https://t.co/dF6GhNA901#GLAMvSOM#WeAreSomerset pic.twitter.com/lExXvQnXdx
— Somerset Cricket 🏏 (@SomersetCCC) September 16, 2020
Career best T20 score by Babar Azam 114* (62b, 4*9, 6*5, SR 183.87). Also, became 3rd fastest & fastest Asian to 5K T20 runs in just 145 inns & in his 150th T20 match. Babar also 2nd fastest to 500 T20I runs, fastest to 1K T20I runs & joint fastest to 1500 T20I runs @babarazam258
— Daniel Alexander (@daniel86cricket) September 16, 2020
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