1,300 days, 36 innings, no 100: How Babar’s Test century drought became a long story

For a batter who once seemed to make Test hundreds on demand, Babar Azam’s wait for a century has become unusually prolonged. His last Test century was scored on December 26, 2022, when he made 161 against New Zealand in Karachi, marking his ninth Test hundred. Since then, the Pakistani captain has played 17 Tests and 36 innings without reaching 100.

This so-called "century drought" has stretched across home series, overseas tours, changes in captaincy, and scores that suggested a century was always just around the corner, but never quite materialized.

This drought officially began in the very next innings after Babar's 161 - he was dismissed for 14 in the second innings of that very same New Zealand Test. He managed 24 and 27 in the second Test in Karachi and 13, 24 and 39 on the subsequent tour of Sri Lanka. The 41 scored at Melbourne during the 2023 tour of Australia was his highest Test score during this period, but it too was followed by a lackluster innings.

In 2024, Babar's struggles intensified. He managed just 0, 22, 31 and 11 across the two Tests against Bangladesh. Then came the home series against England, where he scored only 30 in the first Test at Multan, falling LBW to Chris Woakes on a pitch where two Pakistani players - Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique - both scored centuries. This 30 extended his run of innings without even a Test fifty.

Babar finally managed a Test fifty in South Africa at the end of the year, scoring 50 in the first Test at Centurion and 81 in the second Test at Cape Town. However, he fell 19 runs short of what would have been his 10th Test century. In 2025, Babar began with that 81 against South Africa as one of the highlights of the year, but he still failed to reach the milestone. His best score in 2025 was 81, which came in the same series against South Africa.