Babar Azam, the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, has found himself in an unexpected predicament as he grapples with a significant drought of Test centuries. His last three-figure score came on December 26, 2022, when he scored an impressive 161 against New Zealand in Karachi. This innings marked his ninth Test century and capped off a stellar year in which he accumulated 1,184 runs, including four centuries. However, since that memorable performance, Babar has played 17 Tests and faced 36 innings without reaching the coveted milestone of 100 runs.
The lengthy wait for a century has unfolded through various challenges, including home series, overseas tours, and even changes in the team's captaincy. Each series seemed to promise a breakthrough, yet Babar's form has been inconsistent, leaving fans and analysts puzzled. His struggles became particularly pronounced during the recent series against England, which began right after his last century.
Following his 161 against New Zealand, Babar's performance took a downturn. He was dismissed for just 14 runs in the second innings of that Test, followed by scores of 24 and 27 in the subsequent match. The 2023 tour of Sri Lanka saw him managing only 13, 24, and 39 runs, while the tour of Australia yielded scores of 21, 14, 1, 41, 26, and 23 across three Tests. His highest score during that stretch was 41, which came in Melbourne, yet it still fell short of the substantial innings he needed to reclaim his form.
As 2024 rolled in, Babar's century drought evolved into a crisis. In a two-Test series against Bangladesh, he struggled further, registering scores of 0, 22, 31, and 11. The home series against England did not provide relief either, as he managed only 30 runs in the first Test at Multan, dismissed LBW by Chris Woakes on a pitch where his teammates found success with centuries.
Despite the ongoing challenges, Babar's fortunes showed a glimmer of hope later in 2024. He finally broke his fifty-run barrier with a score of 50 in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion, and followed it up with 58 and 81 in the second Test at Cape Town. Unfortunately, he fell just 19 runs short of his 10th Test century, a near miss that added to the narrative of his ongoing struggle.
In 2025, Babar continued to show promise, starting the year with an 81 against South Africa. He accumulated 193 runs in the two-Test series, featuring three fifties, yet the elusive century remained out of reach. His performance improved compared to the previous two years, but the pattern of near misses persisted.
In a critical second Test against the West Indies, Babar made 88 runs, just 12 runs shy of the milestone, before being run out due to a mix-up. Earlier in the same series, he had also scored 58 not out in a chase, but Pakistan fell short by 90 runs. Despite these contributions, the century continued to evade him.
Before facing England again, Babar scored 68 and 47 in a two-Test series against Bangladesh, yet again failing to convert good starts into a century. His return to the England series was marred by injury, missing the first Test and returning for the second at Lord's, where he scored just 8 and 6 in two innings. As it stands, Babar Azam's century drought stretches on, leaving questions about his form and future in Test cricket.
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