1,317 Days & Counting: Babar Azam Run Out For 88, Test Century Wait Continues

Babar Azam's long wait for a Test century continues after the Pakistan star was run out for 88 against the West Indies in the second Test.

Babar Azam has scored just nine Test centuries for Pakistan so far.

Source : X, @ICC

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Babar Azam was run out for 88 runs in Test match against West Indies.
• This extended his Test century drought to 1,317 days.
• Shubman Gill, Harry Brook have now surpassed Azam in Test hundreds.

Babar Azam Misses Century: Babar Azam's long wait for a Test century remains unbroken after the Pakistan star fell short during the second Test against the West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Just when it appeared he was set to end his lengthy drought, Babar was run out for 88 on the third day of the match, missing out on what would have been a much-needed three-figure score. The right-hander looked in complete control for most of his innings, striking 10 boundaries and one six while anchoring Pakistan's first innings.

However, a run-out ended his knock with the milestone just 12 runs away, extending a drought that has now lasted 1,317 days in Test cricket.

Babar Azam Falls Short Of Test Ton

Babar Azam's most recent Test century came against New Zealand in December 2022, and despite several promising starts since then, he has been unable to convert them into hundreds.

This is not the first time during the ongoing series that Babar has looked set for a significant score.

In the opening Test against the West Indies, he registered an unbeaten 58 in the second innings, but Pakistan were bowled out before he could build on his innings.

Before the series began, Babar had also scored a century in a warm-up fixture, raising hopes that he was rediscovering his best form ahead of the Tests.

Those expectations have yet to be fulfilled, although Pakistan will still hope he can produce a big score in the second innings of the ongoing match.

While his latest innings demonstrated patience and fluency, the manner of his dismissal once again denied him the opportunity to silence critics with a Test hundred.

Gill, Brook Move Ahead In Century Race

Babar Azam's prolonged wait for another Test century has also seen him lose ground compared to some of the game's younger stars.

At the beginning of 2023, Babar had already accumulated nine Test centuries, while India's Shubman Gill had just one and England's Harry Brook had three.

Since then, both Gill and Brook have overtaken the Pakistan batter in terms of Test hundreds, underlining the contrasting trajectories of their red-ball careers.

Despite the recent struggles, Babar remains one of Pakistan's most accomplished batters in the format. Across 64 Test matches and 117 innings, he has scored 4,650 runs at an average of 43.46, including nine centuries and 33 half-centuries.