Ranking 5 highest scores by captains in Asia Cup history ft. Babar Azam
Pakistan ace batter Babar Azam became the first captain in Asia Cup history to score 150 runs in an innings. He led from the front during the Men in Green's opening encounter against Nepal at the Multan Cricket Stadium, compiling 151 runs off 131 deliveries to propel Pakistan to 342-6 batting first.
Skippers have often led from the front in the historic tournament, and as a result, there are a number of memorable innings to remember. With Babar being the first captain to score 150 in the Asia Cup, it naturally became the highest score recorded by a captain in the history of the tournament.
Babar's knock is also the second-highest score ever accumulated by any batter in the Asia Cup. His effort is only bettered by Virat Kohli's famous unbeaten 183 against Pakistan during the 2012 edition of the tournament in Bangladesh.
On that note, let us take a look at the five highest scores by captains in Asia Cup history.
#5 Shoaib Malik - Pakistan (125 vs India; Asia Cup 2008; Karachi)
The former all-rounder scored 125 runs against India when he led the team in the 2008 edition on home soil. The biggest takeaways from his knock were that he opened the innings and he was retired hurt due to cramps before the 40th over itself.
Shoaib Malik's knock, which came in 119 deliveries and included 17 boundaries, set the foundation for Pakistan to pile up a mammoth total against their arch-rivals.
While Pakistan managed to put up 299-4 after electing to bat first, India managed to chase down the total in just 43 overs, courtesy of a blistering ton by Virender Sehwag.
#4 Arjuna Ranatunga - Sri Lanka (131* vs India; Asia Cup 1997; Colombo)
Sri Lanka's World Cup-winning skipper stepped up to the plate during a crucial Asia Cup encounter against India in 1997. Ranatunga scored a patient and unbeaten 131 runs off 151 deliveries to help the Lankans successfully chase down the modest 228-run target set by the Men in Blue.
Ranatunga came into bat when Sri Lanka fell in early trouble during the second innings. The team were reduced to 9-2 courtesy of Venkatesh Prasad, which brought India back into the contest for a brief while.
The skipper shared crucial partnerships with Marvan Atapattu and Roshan Mahanama to wrap up the run chase in the 45th over. He was adjudged the Player of the Match for his match-winning knock.
#3 Sourav Ganguly - India (135* vs Bangladesh; Asia Cup 2000; Dhaka)
Sourav Ganguly scored a belligerent unbeaten 135 runs off 124 runs during Team India's comfortable eight-wicket win over Bangladesh in the 2000 edition of the continental competition.
Ganguly famously used nine bowlers, including himself in the first innings to restrict Bangladesh to 249-6. While he did not have the best time bowling, conceding 35 runs in four overs and going wicketless, the southpaw stepped up with the bat.
Ganguly took on the initiative as the rest of the Indian batters played second fiddle. He took on the bowlers, leading to India scoring 100 runs in just 15 overs. Bringing up his century off 104 balls, he changed gears to wrap up the run chase with 59 balls to spare.
#2 Virat Kohli - India (136 vs Bangladesh; Asia Cup 2014; Fatullah)
Virat Kohli's artsy 136 off 122 deliveries in the 2014 edition of the tournament is one of his many heroics during run chases, and it still remains the highest score recorded by an Indian batter in the Asia Cup.
Bangladesh put up 279-7, courtesy of a captain's knock from Mushfiqur Rahim. Team India, in reply, got off to a solid start but lost both openers - Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan - in quick succession.
Kohli then put up 213 runs for the fourth wicket with Ajinkya Rahane, which tilted the contest in favor of India. The former skipper was close to finishing the match for India but was bowled by nemesis Rubel Hosain, with only 13 runs required to win.
#1 Babar Azam - Pakistan (151 vs Nepal; Asia Cup 2023; Multan)
As mentioned before, the current Pakistan skipper began the ongoing edition of the tournament with his record-breaking innings. Babar Azam walked into bat with the team in slight peril and watched a set of wickets tumble as well.
However, he anchored the innings to perfection and shifted gears after reaching the three-figure mark. The right-handed batter's knock included 14 fours and four sixes, and a strike rate of 115.27.
Babar made the most of a good batting surface to return to form after a bleak end to his Lanka Premier League (LPL) campaign and ODI series against Afghanistan.