Stats: Fakhar Zaman becomes fastest ever to score 1000 ODI runs
It appears as if breaking records has turned into a walk in the park for Fakhar Zaman. After hammering his country's maiden double century in the previous match, the resilient Pakistan opener has become the fastest batsman in ODI history to complete 1000 career runs.
Zaman achieved the extraordinary feat during the final ODI of the 5-match series against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo. Coming into the match, he had needed just 20 more runs to smash the previous record jointly held by five different batsmen belonging to various generations.
The astonishing aspect was that Zaman could have taken two more games after this one before strolling to the milestone. However, the ruthless left-hander ensured that he brought up 1000 career runs during the fifth ODI on Sunday. In doing so, he managed to get to the landmark in only 18 innings.
The previous all-time mark was 21 innings. Caribbean legend Sir Viv Richards, widely considered to be the greatest batsman to play the limited-overs format, was the first to breach the 1000-run mark in ODIs. In an era of challenging pitches and high-quality bowling attacks, his remarkable exploits continue to stand out.
After making his ODI debut in 2004, England maverick Kevin Pietersen took only 21 innings spanning across less than two years to bring up 1000 career runs. Fellow countryman Jonathan Trott emulated his feat in 2011.
South African wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock enjoyed an immensely productive run starting from his debut in 2013. He required 21 innings as well to complete the milestone. Pakistan's Babar Azam came close to breaking the all-time record last year. However, he eventually joined the four other batsmen at the top of the list.
Jointly occupying the third spot are Gordon Greenidge, Ryan ten Doeschate and Azhar Ali. The West Indies icon, who went toe to toe with Richards during the formative years of the format, went past 1000 runs in his 23rd innings.
New Zealand great Glenn Turner required just 24 innings to reach the 1000-run mark. However, due to Tests taking precedence in his era, he had to wait as long as ten years after his debut to get to the milestone.
Former Pakistan opener Yasir Hameed as well as current top-order stalwarts Hashim Amla, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan also reached the landmark in their 24th innings.
Fastest to score 1000 ODI runs
#1 Fakhar Zaman (2017 to *present) - 18 innings
#2 Sir Viv Richards (1975 to 1980) - 21 innings
#2 Kevin Pietersen (2004 to 2006) - 21 innings
#2 Jonathan Trott (2009 to 2011) - 21 innings
#2 Quinton de Kock (2013 to 2014) - 21 innings
#2 Babar Azam (2015 to 2017) - 21 innings
#3 Gordon Greenidge (1975 to 1980) - 23 innings
#3 Ryan ten Doeschate (2006 to 2009) - 23 innings
#3 Azhar Ali (2011 to 2015) - 23 innings
#4 Glenn Turner (1973 to 1983) - 24 innings
#4 Yasir Hameed (2003 to 2004) - 24 innings
#4 Hashim Amla (2008 to 2010) - 24 innings
#4 Virat Kohli (2008 to 2010) - 24 innings
#4 Shikhar Dhawan (2010 to 2013) - 24 innings
(*Note: All statistics are accurate as of 22nd July, 2018)