Babar is only 14 runs short of scoring his 10th Test match century, ending the second day at 86 not out off 126 balls with 1 six and 10 fours to his name. The Pakistan captain put on unbeaten 168 runs for the third wicket with Abdullah Shafique – who is batting on 107 off 185 balls with 2 sixes and 10 fours.
Shafique came into the side with former skipper Shan Masood ruled out of the second Test with a fractured finger. Pakistan ended the day at 266 for 2 in 66 overs after bowling out West Indies for 344 in the first innings.
“It’s been a very satisfying day for me as batting coach,” Pakistan batting coach Asad Shafiq said after the day’s play on Monday.
“The way Abdullah and Babar batted, and the partnership they built, was truly remarkable. That’s exactly what we had been missing in the last two or three Test matches,” Shafiq added. “They took responsibility, and seeing that gives me immense satisfaction.”
Babar Azam now has the highest average as Pakistan captain in Test cricket (minimum 1000 runs). Babar is averaging 53.77 with 1883 runs in 38 innings with 4 hundreds. He surpassed former Pakistan skipper Saleem Malik, who had an average of 52.35 while scoring 1047 runs in 21 innings with 3 hundreds.
Former Pakistan captain and Prime Minister Imran Khan is third on this elite list with an average of 52.34 while scoring 2408 runs in 64 innings with 5 hundreds.
Here are Pakistan captains with highest-average in as skipper in Test cricket (minimum 1000 runs)…
| Name | Inngs | Runs | Average | 100s |
| Babar Azam | 38 | 1883 | 53.77 | 4 |
| Saleem Malik | 21 | 1047 | 52.35 | 3 |
| Imran Khan | 64 | 2408 | 52.34 | 5 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq | 53 | 2397 | 52.1 | 7 |
| Misbah-ul-Haq | 99 | 4214 | 51.39 | 8 |
| Javed Miandad | 51 | 2354 | 50.08 | 5 |
Pakistan, who lost the first Test of the two-match series by 90 runs last week, are trailing only by 78 runs with 8 wickets in hand. “Abdullah has only recently joined the team, but he has been scoring heavily in domestic cricket. He saw this opportunity and seized it with both hands. The hallmark of his innings was the way he punished the loose deliveries while showing respect to the good ones. That balance really stood out,” Shafiq added.