Playing against Australia is not an easy job. Australia is the only cricket team to win 5 ICC World Cup Trophies. From 1999 to 2007, Secured three World Cup Trophies, the most dominant era in the history of cricket ever.
But do You Know?, Australia’s first World Cup Trophy win was not an easy path, Pakistan was the dominant team in such days. Craig McDermott, the Australian Right Arm Fast Bowler mashed the dream of Pakistan lifting the world cup by producing a match-winning bowling performance of 5/44 vs Pakistan in the 1st Semi-Final at Lahore,1987.
Since then Pakistan vs Australia was a treat to watch, both the teams competed equally in every match. Once Again it’s Australia tour of Pakistan in the upcoming March month. This post is about the world’s number one ODI and T20 Batsman Babar Azam’s performance vs the giants Australia in Tests, ODIs, and T20s.
Babar Azam stats vs Australia in Tests
Babar Azam has played 14 innings vs Australia so far and scored 409 runs with an average of 31.46 which is not impressive when compared to Babar Azam’s ability. The Overall Test average of Babar Azam was 43.17 with 2461 runs in 66 innings.
Babar Azam’s Debut vs Australia
Babar’s first test match vs Australia was at Brisbane in 2016. Azam went to the pavilion cheaply in both innings of the test scoring 19 runs in the first innings and 14 in the second innings. Asad Shafiq showed some grit towards Australia’s bowling attack, but all of his efforts went in vain as Pakistan lost the match by a mere margin of 39 runs. Babar Azam’s performance in the 2016-2017 series was poor and not up to the mark. He only scored a total of 68 runs in 6 innings with an average of 11.33. He struggled hard vs Josh Hazlewood. Out of 6 innings played Babar Azam was dismissed 4 times by Hazlewood in the 2016-2017 series.
Pakistan vs Australia 2018/19
After a poor series vs Australia in 2016. Babar Azam once again got an opportunity to prove himself vs Australia in the 2018/19 series at Dubai. Once again Babar Azam failed to score in the first innings scoring only 4 runs without troubling the scorecard.
In the next test at Abu Dhabi Babar was clean bowled by Lyon for 0 runs. But came back stronger in the next innings by scoring 99 runs off 171 balls. He helped to put up a 133 runs partnership with Sarfaraz Ahmed which was the crucial partnership of the match. Later Pakistan went on to win the match by 373 runs. Babar Azam’s average in this series vs Australia was 65.00.
Careless Swipe to Test Hundred
After winning the test series 1-0 at Dubai, in the very next month, Pakistan faced Australia again. But this time it was at Brisbane, Australia for the World Test Championship. Again Babar once again played an early shot and gave a wicket to Hazelwood scoring only 1 run.
This was the fifth time Azam was picked by Hazelwood in tests. In the next innings, Babar Azam with more responsibility and scored his first test hundred vs Australia scoring 104 of 173 balls. But Australia’s brilliant top-order performance overshadowed Babar Azam’s performance and Australia won the match by an innings and 5 runs.
In the next match at Adelaide, Babar Azam continued the good form with the bat and scored 97 runs off 132 balls missing the century by 3 runs. This innings from Babar Azam gave Pakistan hope for the future of Pakistan cricket.
Azhar Ali, the former captain of the Pakistan Test team special mentioned Azam’s performance in the post-match interview. He said that “That’s been a big positive now for us that Babar has stamped himself a Test player. He’s been fantastic throughout the year and he’s been lovely to watch and hopefully he can continue this form in the Tests that are coming”.
Babar Azam stats vs Australia in ODI
There is no doubt that Babar Azam is one of the best White ball Cricketers in the current cricket generation. Azam has played a total of six matches vs Australia in One Day Internationals and scored 312 runs with an average of 52 runs.
Babar Azam’s first ODI match vs Australia was at Brisbane in 2017. After losing the test Series 3-0 Pakistan hoped for a fresh start in ODI format with the win but Australia’s Mathew wade smashed those hopes by scoring 100 of 100 balls, at one stage the match was clearly in Pakistan’s hand as Aussies lost their first 5 wickets for just 78 runs but Mathew Wade and Maxwell’s crucial partnership helped Australia to put up 268 runs on the board.
Chasing the target of 268 Pakistan’s top order failed miserably lost 6 wickets for just 133 runs, Babar Azam was Pakistan’s top scorer in that match with 33 runs of 46 balls. Australia took up the lead 1-0 by winning the match by 92 runs.
In the next match at Melbourne, Babar Azam scored 34 runs and Pakistan won the match by 6 wickets. Mohammad Hafeez was the top performer of the match with a responsible knock of 72 runs and helped Pakistan to taste its first win in Australia series 2017.
After a Win at Melbourne, the third ODI at Perth was the highest run of Babar Azam’s career vs Australia. Babar Azam went on to become one of the fastest batsmen ever to score 1000 runs in ODI cricket joining hands with Viv Richards, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, and Quinton De Kock. He scored 84 runs off 100 balls but other Pakistani batsmen failed to give their support to him and Pakistan posted a decent total of 263 as the target for Australia to win the Match. But it was all about Steve Smith who scored a brilliant knock of 108* of 104 balls and helped Australia to take up a lead 2-1 in the ODI series.
After losing the 5 ODI match series to 3-1 in the 4th ODI, Babar Azam scored his first ODI hundred vs Australia in the 5th ODI at Adelaide chasing the mammoth total of 370 runs Pakistan’s captain Azhar Ali went early scoring only 6 runs, but Babar Azam and Sharjeel Khan build up a good partnership of 130 runs and gave Pakistan a hope until Mitchell Starc took up the wicket of Sharjeel Khan. Babar on the other hand played steadily and scored 100 off 109 balls. It was Josh Hazelwood who picked the wicket of Babar Azam for the 7th time in the tour and helped Australia to win the match by 57 runs.
Babar Azam stats vs Australia in T20
The number one T20 Batsmen for the reason, Yes Babar Azam’s T20 statistics vs Australia is just unbelievable. Out of seven innings played vs Australia Azam has scored 317 runs with an average of 63.40. He has added 4 half-centuries to his name out of 7 innings played.
Babar Azam’s first T20 match vs Australia was in Abu Dhabi in 2018. Babar Azam’s 68* runs off 55 balls shipped Pakistan to the fightable total of 155 runs. Credit goes to Pakistan bowlers Imad Waseem and Faheem Ashraf who outsmarted every Pakistan batsman and bowled Australia for just 89 runs.
Azam continued his dominance in the 2nd T20 as well in Dubai 2018 and was the leading run scored for team Pakistan. He scored 45 runs off 44 balls. Maxwell’s late effort of 52 runs of 37 balls couldn’t help Australia and Pakistan won the 2nd T20 and series by 11 runs.
Babar Azam’s supremacy in the T20 series continued in the 3rd T20 match as well and once again he was the leading run-scorer of the match scoring 50 runs off 40 balls. Pakistan for the fourth time continued its whitewash in the t20 series and shocked the world by Whist washing 3-0 vs mighty Aussies. Babar Azam was the player in the series and his average against Australia in the Dubai T20 series was 138.00.
In the 2019 Pakistan tour of Australia series, Babar Azam scored two half-centuries in 3 matches played. Though Australia won the series 2-0, Babar Azam was the leading run-scorer of the series with 115 runs in three matches with an average of 112 runs in the series.
