Babar Azam has reached a significant statistical milestone in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) during the second and final Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet, equalling Steve Smith in the all-time list for the most half-centuries in the competition.
In the Sylhet Test, Babar completed his 31st Test half-century overall. This innings also marked his 20th fifty in the World Test Championship format, a competition introduced by the International Cricket Council to provide a structured league system for Test cricket over defined cycles. The result places him jointly third on the all-time list for most WTC fifties, alongside Australia’s Steve Smith and England’s Zak Crawley.
The achievement is particularly notable in terms of efficiency, as Babar reached this milestone in just 39 Test matches. This underlines his consistency and ability to contribute significant scores across different conditions and oppositions in the longest format of the game. In Test cricket, reaching a half-century is widely regarded as an important benchmark of batting stability, often reflecting the capacity to build substantial innings for the team.
Only two players currently stand ahead of him in the World Test Championship standings for half-centuries. Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne leads the list with 24 fifties, while England’s Joe Root occupies second place with 22. These figures place Babar within a leading group of batters who have been consistently productive in the WTC era since its inception.
ICC World Test Championship – Most Half-Centuries
| Rank | Player | Team | Fifties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marnus Labuschagne | Australia | 24 |
| 2 | Joe Root | England | 22 |
| 3 | Babar Azam | Pakistan | 20 |
| 3 | Steve Smith | Australia | 20 |
| 3 | Zak Crawley | England | 20 |
In the same Test match in Sylhet, Babar played a composed and disciplined innings under pressure. His approach reflected controlled shot selection and measured accumulation of runs during a crucial phase of the innings. After reaching his half-century, he extended his innings further to score 68 runs in total.
His dismissal came when he was caught by Mushfiqur Rahim off the bowling of Nahid Rana. This ended an innings that had contributed significantly to his team’s batting effort in the match, while also adding to his growing tally of consistent performances in Test cricket.
Overall, this milestone reinforces Babar Azam’s standing among the most consistent batters in the World Test Championship era, with his record now aligned alongside some of the leading names in contemporary Test cricket.