PAK vs NZ: Babar Azam surpasses Joe Root to become leading Test run scorer in 2022

Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Monday, December 26 surpassed former England Test skipper Joe Root to become the leading run-scorer in Tests in 2022. Notably, Root, who amassed 1098 runs from 15 matches at an average of 45.75 in 2022, now stands behind Azam, who became the top run-getter during a meticulous innings on Day 1 of Pakistan’s opening Test against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi.

The 28-year-old will also finish 2022 as the leading run-scorer in international cricket. Despite Pakistan not being able to win any of the major trophies, the skipper led by example. He was in tremendous form and was consistent enough to achieve such a prestigious milestone.

Interestingly, Babar is the only cricketer to have scored more than 2000 runs in international cricket in this calendar year. Premier Bangladesh batter Litton Das is second in the list after scoring 1921 runs in 2022. 

PAK vs NZ: Babar Azam stabilizes Pakistan innings after a shaky start

After a disastrous Test series against England, Azam in the press conference mentioned about their intention to bounce back to winning ways against New Zealand. However, the team was completely bamboozled early into the match as they lost three quick wickets of Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood within the first 15 overs of the match.

Now, after grinding hard in the middle, Saud Saukeel too lost his wicket as the hosts found themselves in a spot of bother. However, Azam stepped up once again, to rescue the sinking ship and give Pakistan a breath of fresh air.

The 28-year-old smashed another century in the longest format of the game while wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmed, who made his return to the Pakistan team after a long wait, scored a half-century to bring back the momentum.

New Zealand bowlers looked threatening from time to time but couldn’t manage to find a breakthrough. Going into the third session, off-spinner Michael Bracewell picked up two wickets while Ajaz Patel and Tim Southee picked one each.