Babar Azam breaks Hashim Amla’s record for most ODI runs after 141 innings

Pakistan batter Babar Azam has surpassed South African great Hashim Amla to become the highest run-scorer in men’s one-day internationals (ODIs) after 141 innings.

Babar achieved the milestone during Pakistan’s opening match of the tri-nation series against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, scoring 45 runs to take his ODI tally to 6,671.

Amla had scored 6,626 runs in his first 141 ODI innings, while India’s Virat Kohli ranks third on the lis with 6,224 runs.

The latest achievement adds to a significant milestone for Babar, who also completed 16,000 international runs during the match against Sri Lanka.

Babar joins elite group of Pakistani batters

Babar became the fifth Pakistani batter to reach 16,000 international runs, achieving the feat in 399 innings.

Trademark Babar Azam style 😎

Crunched through the off-side 👏

#PAKvSL | #CricketKaJashan | #BackTheBoysInGreen https://t.co/l8IFvgSsbm

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 18, 2026

Mohammad Yousuf reached the milestone in 388 innings, followed by Javed Miandad in 398, while Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan took 432 and 449 innings, respectively.

From junior cricket to international records

Born in Lahore, Babar comes from a cricketing family related to the Akmal brothers. He progressed through Pakistan’s junior cricket system, featuring in the Under-15 setup in 2008 before becoming Pakistan’s leading run-scorer at the 2010 and 2012 Under-19 World Cups.

He announced himself on the international stage in 2016 by scoring three consecutive centuries in an ODI series against the West Indies at the age of 21. He had made his international debut against Zimbabwe, scoring a half-century in his first match.

His performances in ODIs earned him a place in Pakistan’s Test side. Following the retirements of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, Babar increasingly established himself as one of the team’s leading batters.

By 2018, he had become the joint second-fastest batter to reach 2,000 ODI runs. He also set a record as the fastest batter to score 1,000 runs in men’s Twenty20 Internationals.

Form comes under scrutiny after 2023

Babar reached the top three of the world rankings in both Test and ODI cricket in 2022. That year, he scored 1,184 runs in Tests, including four centuries.

However, Pakistan’s disappointing campaign at the 2023 ODI World Cup and the team’s struggles in Test cricket brought increased scrutiny of his performances.

His form in Tests dipped, with Babar scoring just one half-century across 2023 and 2024 at an average of 21.36.

He stepped down as Pakistan captain in late 2023. Since then, he has continued in the team as a senior player, with his leadership responsibilities changing over time.