When Pakistan beat Ireland by seven wickets in the second Twenty20 International in Dublin on Sunday, captain Babar Azam rose to the top of an incredible list.
Mohammad Rizwan (75*) and Fakhar Zaman (78) combined for 140 runs as Babar’s team successfully chased down Ireland’s respectable total of 193/7 with more than three overs remaining. This was Pakistan’s captain’s historic 45th Twenty20 International triumph.
It moved Babar beyond Uganda’s Brian Masaba for the most victories among male T20I captains, and ahead of former captains like Eoin Morgan of England, MS Dhoni of India, and Aaron Finch of Australia.
While Babar edged a Graham Hume delivery to keeper Lorcan Tucker in the second over, failing to worry the scorers against Ireland, Rizwan and Fakhar worked together to steady the ship and lead Pakistan to a series-levelling victory.
Most Wins as Men’s T20I Captain:
| 45 | Babar Azam | Pakistan |
| 44 | Brian Masaba | Uganda |
| 42 | Eoin Morgan | England |
| 42 | Asghar Afghan | Afghanistan |
| 41 | MS Dhoni | India |
| 41 | Rohit Sharma | India |
| 40 | Aaron Finch | Australia |
| 39 | Ahmed Faiz | Malaysia |
| 38 | Gerhard Erasmus | Namibia |
| 37 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand |
Power-hitter Fakhar hammered six sixes, while a more composed Rizwan played the supporting role with grace as the two quickly put up 140 runs to win the match away from Ireland.
When Fakhar was removed in the fifteenth over to give the hosts some hope, Azam Khan joined the party and struck an undefeated thirty from only ten deliveries to lead Pakistan home.
The series’ third and last game is scheduled for Tuesday in Dublin.
