RAWALPINDI – Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, despite facing a not-so-favourable part of his career, emerged as leading Test batter of 2026 by average, surpassing cricket giants Joe Root, Harry Brook and Travis Head.
The remarkable achievement came as Babar smashed a half-century against Sri Lanka, although his frustrating four-year wait for a Test hundred continues.
The star batter topped batting average rankings among players with at least 10 innings this year, with 50.55 average. Other stats placed his pre-match average at 50.62 after scoring 405 runs in 10 innings, but both figures positioned the Pakistani star ahead of several established international batters.
England’s Harry Brook occupied second place with average of 46.50, having accumulated 558 runs in 12 innings. Bangladesh veteran Mushfiqur Rahim followed in third with 44.16, while Australia’s Travis Head ranked fourth at 42.09. England’s Joe Root completed the top five with an average of 41.75, highlighting Babar’s impressive consistency in the longest format.
Pakistani captain strengthened his impressive 2026 record with an aggressive half-century during the opening day of the first Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Babar arrived at approximately 90 for two and played confidently, smashing seven boundaries in his 58-ball knock of 50 runs at a strike rate of 86.21.
He shared a valuable 69-run partnership with debutant Mohammad Taha before Dilshan Madushanka dismissed him, with wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis completing the catch. Pakistan’s innings also featured impressive debut performances from Tayyab Arif and Mohammad Taha, who contributed 57 and 51 respectively. Saud Shakeel remained unbeaten on 57 at stumps.
Despite leading the year’s batting average rankings, Babar remains under scrutiny over his inability to convert promising starts into centuries. His latest fifty marked his fifth Test half-century of 2026, but he has not scored a hundred this year.
Pakistan captain has now completed 41 consecutive Test innings without a century, having last reached three figures against New Zealand in December 2022. However, he crossed another significant milestone during the Rawalpindi encounter, surpassing 7,000 first-class runs.
