Pakistan’s all-format captain, Babar Azam, and wicket-keeper batter, Mohammad Rizwan, have piled on the runs in all formats of the game in 2021. The two have broken multiple batting records as they spurred Pakistan to a historic year in Test and T20I formats.

Both the batters were influential for Pakistan as they achieved historic feats in both the formats, registering 20 wins in T20Is in a calendar year and recording the highest win percentage in Test cricket in the world in 2021.

The pair has formed a lethal opening partnership for Pakistan in T20Is while they are also an integral part of Pakistan’s middle-order in Test cricket. Both Babar and Rizwan have had a terrific year and have created multiple batting records. Let’s have a look at their records in 2021:

Highest Run-Scorer in T20 Cricket

Mohammad Rizwan rounded off a magnificent year in T20 cricket by becoming the first batter in the history of the format to cross 2,000 runs in a calendar year. The wicket-keeper batter scored 2,036 runs at an average of 56.55 and a strike rate of 132.03 in 45 innings he played in the year. Rizwan also became the highest run-scorer in T20Is in a calendar year as he became the first batter in history to cross 1,000 runs in T20Is. He scored 1,326 runs at an average of 73.66 and a strike rate of 134.89 in 26 innings.

Most Sixes and Boundaries in T20Is

Rizwan’s six-hitting ability had always been a question mark prior to the turn of the year. He answered his critics by becoming the leading six-hitter in T20Is in 2021. Rizwan hit a total of 42 sixes in T20Is, surpassing New Zealand’s Martin Guptill who hit 41 sixes in 2021.

Rizwan also became the first batter in the world to hit more than 100 fours in a calendar year. Rizwan struck 119 fours in T20Is. He is followed by Babar Azam who struck 99 boundaries. The two Pakistani batters lead the pack for most boundaries in a year.

Most 50+ Scores in T20Is

Rizwan scored 13 50+ scores including a century in T20Is in the calendar year. No other player in the world had crossed 10 50+ scores prior to this year, while Rizwan and Babar became the first players to do so. Babar scored 10 50+ scores which included 9 fifties and 1 century.

Most Player-of-the-Series Awards

The gritty wicket-keeper batter was Pakistan’s most influential player in all formats this year. Rizwan won a total of 6 player-of-the-series awards in 2021, equaling the record of most player-of-the-series awards held by Sachin Tendulkar since 1998. Rizwan bagged 4 player-of-the-series awards in T20Is and 2 in red-ball cricket.

Most Dismissals by a Wicket-Keeper in T20s

The 29-year old not only had a record-breaking year with the bat, but he also had a record-breaking year behind the stumps. Rizwan created history as he recorded most dismissals by a wicket-keeper in T20 cricket. Rizwan dismissed a total of 47 batters, which included 41 catches and 6 stumpings. He broke MS Dhoni’s record who had dismissed 39 batters in 2016.

Babar Azam

Number One in ODIs and T20Is

Pakistan’s all-format captain enjoyed yet another stellar year in limited-overs cricket. The stylish batter scored 939 runs in T20Is and 405 runs in ODIs as he finished as the number one batter in the world in both formats. This was only the second time in history that a batter was ranked number one in both formats at the end of a year. Australian legend, Ricky Ponting, achieved the feat in 2005.

Only Player in Top 10 Across Formats

Babar’s magnificent run-scoring form over the past few years helped him break into the top 10 rankings of all three formats. He has since gone on to be ranked number one in both the limited-overs format and maintained his position in the top 10 in Tests. His consistency has led him to be the only batter in the world to be ranked in the top 10 in all three formats.

Pakistan’s Leading Run-Scorer in T20Is

The flamboyant batter has piled on runs for Pakistan in all formats of the game ever since his international debut five years ago. He has been exceptional in the shortest format of the game and became Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in T20Is. He has scored 2,620 runs at an average of 45.17 and a strike rate of 129.12 in 73 matches he has played for the Men in Green. Babar surpassed Mohammad Hafeez who has 2,514 runs in 119 matches for Pakistan.

Most 50+ Scores in T20s

The 27-year old has become one of the best batters in the world due to his consistency. It was on full display throughout the year as he scored the most 50+ scores in T20s. Babar became the first batter in the world to score more than 20 50+ scores in T20 cricket in a year. Babar scored 18 half-centuries and two centuries during the course of the year in T20 cricket.

Highest Run-Scorer in 2021 T20 World Cup

Babar rose to the occasion when it mattered the most. He was the highest run-scorer in the 2021 T20 World Cup as he led Pakistan to their first semi-final in the tournament since 2012. Babar scored 303 runs at an average of 60.60 and a strike rate of 126.25 in 6 innings.

Most Successful Captain

Babar’s inaugural year as the all-format captain of the national side was a successful one as well. He led Pakistan to 7 victories in 8 matches in Test cricket and enjoyed the highest win percentage. He also led Pakistan to 20 victories in T20Is as the Men in Green became the first side in history to register 20 wins in T20Is in a single year. Babar led Pakistan for the first time in a major ICC tournament as well. The Men in Green exceeded expectations as they qualified for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup and were the only team to remain unbeaten in the group stages of the tournament.

Fastest Captain to 1,000 T20I Runs

Babar reached the landmark of 1,000 runs in T20I cricket as captain in record time. He only took 26 innings to reach the milestone and broke the record held by Virat Kohli who had taken 30 innings to score 1,000 runs as captain of the Indian T20I side. Overall, Babar became the ninth captain to score 1,000 runs in the shortest format of the game.

Captain With Most 50+ Scores

Babar continued his batting form even after being appointed as captain of the side. He grew into the role of a leader and simultaneously kept on piling runs in all three formats. His record as T20I captain and player was magnificent in 2021 and he broke the record of most 50+ runs as captain of the side in T20Is. Babar has scored 50+ scores as captain on 16 occasions which included 15 half-centuries and one century in 2021. No other captain has scored more 50+ scores than Babar in T20I history.

Most Catches by a Fielder

Babar was influential in the field as well. Babar took a total of 26 catches in the outfield in T20 cricket, which is the most by a fielder in the current calendar year. Out of his 26 catches, 17 of them were taken in T20Is, which is also the most number of catches taken in 2021.

Babar and Rizwan

While the duo set some major individual batting records throughout the year, they also set some big partnership records in 2021. They were by far the most successful batting partnership in T20Is in the calendar year as they set the tone for Pakistan’s batting line-up with their outstanding opening stands. Let’s have a look at some of their partnership records:

Most Century Stands

Babar and Rizwan made a formidable partnership for Pakistan at the top of the order. They scored a total of 6 century stands, which is the most by a batting pair in the history of T20Is. Out of these, 4 were in excess of 150 runs which is also the most for a batting pair in T20Is and came against the likes of England, India, South Africa, and West Indies.

Highest Opening Stand in T20 World Cup History

The duo was magnificent for Pakistan throughout the 2021 T20 World Cup. They were influential as Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India for the first time in World Cup history. The batting pair scored an unbeaten knock of 152 runs and registered the highest opening stand in T20 World Cup history.

Most Century Stands While Chasing

Babar and Rizwan’s opening partnerships were all the more impressive because of pressure situations. Out of their 6 century partnerships, 3 came while chasing a target. This included a 152 run unbeaten stand against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup and a 197 run stand against South Africa at Centurion.

First Pair to Score 1,000+ Runs

The duo also became the first batting pair in history to score more than 1,000 runs in a year. They scored 1,380 runs at an average of 57.50 in 25 innings while batting together.

Most Runs in Maiden T20 World Cup

Babar and Rizwan were outstanding for Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup. This was the first T20 World Cup for both the players and they both broke the record of most runs in their first tournament. Babar scored 303 runs while Rizwan scored 281 runs in the mega event. They broke the record previously held by Australian legend, Matthew Hayden who had scored 265 runs in his debut tournament in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. Coincidentally, Matthew Hayden was Pakistan’s batting consultant this time around.

Source: Pro Pakistani