Babar Azam's Test Century Drought Stretches Past 1,300 Days

Babar Azam's century drought extends 1,300 days across 36 innings since December 2022. Multiple near-misses of 88 and 81 have failed to end the drought for Pakistan's captain.

For a batter once capable of accumulating Test centuries as though they were routine, Pakistan captain Babar Azam has entered an increasingly uncomfortable new phase of his career. More than 1,300 days have now elapsed since his last Test hundred-a commanding 161 against New Zealand in Karachi on December 26, 2022. Across 17 Tests and 36 innings spanning multiple series at home and abroad, leadership changes, and shifting squad compositions, he has drawn tantalizingly close to three figures on numerous occasions, yet remains unable to break through.

That December century represented the culmination of an extraordinary 2022. Azam accumulated 1,184 Test runs that calendar year, a haul punctuated by four centuries that marked him as one of the format's most prolific run-makers. The 161 against New Zealand stood as his ninth Test century, suggesting a career trajectory pointing only upward. The drought, however, began almost at once. Dismissed for 14 in his very next innings, back at Karachi during the same series, Azam saw a pattern take shape that would define the following three and a half years.

The early phase stretched through 2023 without respite. Subsequent Tests against New Zealand yielded 24 and 27. A tour of Sri Lanka produced 13, 24 and 39 across three innings. Australia proved no more fruitful: 21, 14, 1, 41, 26 and 23 across three Tests. The 41 at Melbourne represented his best score during this entire 12-month span, yet it dissolved before he could build the sustained innings needed for a century.

The South Africa Turning Point (2024-2025)

The crisis deepened markedly in 2024 before a glimmer of recovery appeared late that year. Against Bangladesh, he managed 0, 22, 31 and 11 across two Tests-a sequence that included a duck. The May series at home against England brought fresh despondency. At Multan, he made 30 before falling LBW to Chris Woakes. The dismissal carried particular sting: Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique both scored centuries on the same pitch, underlining that the surface held runs for those able to build long innings.

South Africa offered genuine progress in late 2024. At Centurion in the first Test, he finally made a fifty-50 runs representing his first Test half-century since the 161 against New Zealand nearly two and a half years prior. The second Test at Cape Town offered greater promise. He made 58 in the first innings, then returned with 81 in the second, finishing merely 19 runs short of what would have constituted his tenth century. The pattern of near-misses had evolved: he was now reaching 50s and 80s, yet the barrier to three figures remained unbroken.

Through 2025, Azam continued posting solid individual scores without completing the journey. Across a two-Test series, he amassed 193 runs with three fifties and a best score of 81. The improvement in consistency had not translated into the breakthrough he desperately needed.

From Port of Spain to Lord's (2026)

The West Indies series in early 2026 intensified the frustration. At Port of Spain in May, he reached 88 in the second Test-his closest approach to a century in years-before being run out by Brandon King with 12 runs still required. The first Test of that series had yielded 58 not out, though Pakistan ultimately lost. Bangladesh offered another opportunity shortly after. Azam scored 68 and 47 across two Tests, contributions sufficient to suggest form without delivering the breakthrough.

His current assignment against England began with adversity. A finger injury forced him to miss the first Test at Headingley, where Pakistan lost by an innings and 103 runs. He returned for Lord's declaring himself 90 per cent fit. The decision failed to yield dividends. He was caught by Jordan Cox off Josh Tongue for 8 in the first innings as Pakistan managed just 110 all out. In the second innings, chasing 389, Jofra Archer's pace and bounce prompted an awkward shot that ballooned to Cox at third slip. Azam departed for 6. The century drought now extends beyond four years.

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