Babar Azam beats Kohli, equals Hashim Amla by scoring 6,000 runs in ODIs.
Pakistan batting icon and master stroke-player Babar Azam has smashed another record, beating Indian star batter Virat Kohli and equalling South African great Hashim Amla by becoming the fastest batsman to score 6,000 runs in ODIs, reported The Asian Mirror.
While playing against New Zealand during the Tri-Nation series final in Karachi on Tuesday, Babar Azam equalled Hashim Amla’s long-standing record of being the fastest to 6,000 runs in ODI cricket, both achieving the feat in 123 innings.
Babar Azam needed only 10 runs to reach the milestone and he achieved the feat in the 7th over in style with a six-off Jacob Duffy.
It may be mentioned here that Babar Azam holds the record for being the fastest batter to score 5,000 ODI runs, having achieved the landmark in 97 innings.
Following are the batters who reached 6,000 runs in ODI cricket in the fewest number of innings:
9. Sourav Ganguly: 147 innings for 6,000 ODI runs
The former Indian captain took almost nine years to reach 6,000 ODI runs. The milestone arrived for him during a 2000 Champions Trophy fixture in Sharjah, where Ganguly top-scored with 66 for India in a relatively tight win over minnows Zimbabwe.
8. Quinton de Kock: 142 innings for 6,000 ODI runs
De Kock no longer plays ODI cricket, but the South African wicketkeeper-batter was relatively prolific during his time with the Proteas in the intermediate format of the international game. He reached 6,000 runs in ODI cricket during the defeat to Australia in Bloemfontein in 2023.
7. Joe Root – 141 innings for 6,000 ODI runs
Root is already close to joining the fastest to 7,000 ODI runs, but features on this list for quickest to 6,000 as well. The venue was Chester-le-Street and the opposition was Sri Lanka when Root reached 6,000 with a match-winning 79 not out in 2021.
6. Viv Richards – 141 innings for 6,000 ODI runs
The only batter from a yesteryear era on this list, Richards effectively continues to hold his own among modern-day batters and statistics. The big West Indies star reached 6,000 runs in ODI cricket against Australia in Brisbane in 1989. He was run out for 18 on the day.
5. Shikhar Dhawan – 140 innings for 6,000 ODI runs
Dhawan, like de Kock, stopped playing ODI cricket recently, but not before making a big impact on the intermediate format of the international game. He was a stalwart at the top of the India order for a decade-plus. His 6,000 ODI runs arrived against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2021. He hit 86 not out on the day.
4. David Warner – 139 innings for 6,000 ODI runs
Warner holds the record for being the quickest left-hander to reach 6,000 runs in ODIs. The others above him are all right-handers. The Australian great collected the feat during a Player of the Series performance against England in 2021.
3. Kane Williamson – 139 innings for 6,000 ODI runs
Williamson recently joined the illustrious list of players who reached 7,000 ODI runs the fastest. He’s high up among this list for quickest to 6,000 ODI runs as well. The 6,000 arrived for him against Australia at Lord’s in 2019.
2. Virat Kohli – 136 innings for 6,000 ODI runs
The Indian talisman was the fastest to 6,000 runs in ODIs before Amla took over a year later. Kohli needed just over eight years to collect this feat, which arrived against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad in 2014.
1. Hashim Amla – 123 innings for 6,000 ODI runs
The South African star holds the record for reaching 6,000 runs in ODI cricket the fastest. He did this in 2015, against India in Mumbai, scoring just 23 in an innings that brought centuries for three other Proteas top-order batters.
