Dublin [Ireland], May 13 : Pakistan captain Babar Azam went to the top of an illustrious list after his side claimed an impressive win over Ireland as he became the most successful T20I skipper with 45 wins besides his name – the most by anyone in men’s T20I cricket.
Babar’s team successfully chased down Ireland’s good total of 193/7 with more than three overs remaining, thanks to a 140-run partnership between Mohammad Rizwan (75*) and Fakhar Zaman (78), giving Pakistan’s powerful skipper a record-breaking 45th T20I triumph.
Although among the top playing nations, Babar is five victories ahead of second-placed Aaron Finch (40) and have eclipsed Uganda’s skipper Brian Masaba (44) for the most wins by a captain in all men’s T20Is.
While Babar leads the list, Eoin Morgan, England’s 2019 World Cup-winning captain, is third (42 victories), with MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma equal at 41 wins each. Former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan is also tied with Morgan for 42 victories as captain in this style.
While Babar failed to worry the scorers against Ireland, edging a Graham Hume ball to keeper Lorcan Tucker in the second over, Rizwan and Fakhar helped Pakistan even the series.
Fakhar demonstrated his power-hitting abilities by smashing six sixes, while a steadier Rizwan handled the support position admirably as the pair put up 140 in rapid succession to take the game away from Ireland.
While Fakhar was dismissed in the 15th over to provide the hosts with a glimmer of hope, Azam Khan joined the party to hit an unbeaten 30 from just 10 deliveries to guide Pakistan home.
Meanwhile, the third and final game of the three-match series will be played in Dublin on Tuesday.
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