Babar Azam leads Pakistan to first away Test win in over three years, continues outstanding overseas captaincy record

Babar Azam leads Pakistan to first away Test win in over three years, continues outstanding overseas captaincy record originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Babar Azam led Pakistan to their first away Test win in more than three years.

The win over West Indies was Pakistan's first overseas Test victory in nine attempts since July 2023.

Babar now holds the best away win-loss ratio of any Test captain in history (minimum 12 matches).

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Babar Azam leads Pakistan to first away Test win in over three years

Babar Azam has ended one of Pakistan's more dispiriting droughts, guiding the side to a first away Test win in over three years with victory over West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval. The result levelled the two-match series 1-1 and reaffirmed Babar's remarkable record as a captain on foreign soil.

Pakistan sealed the win in Port of Spain by bowling West Indies out for just 117 in their second innings, with Sajid Khan and Ali Usman claiming four wickets apiece. Pakistan's onslaught made sure they needed to chase just a modest 75 to win the second Test against the hosts after losing the first Test by 90 runs.

And they did exactly that by winning the game with eight wickets in hand. It was also their first away win since the 2-0 victory in their tour of Sri Lanka. Since that July 2023 tour, Pakistan lost 3-0 against Australia before losing 2-0 against both South Africa and Bangladesh, and their loss at Tarouba extended the losing streak to eight matches.

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Ironically, the last time they had celebrated a victory on a tour was also under Azam. Shan Masood's spell as the Test skipper failed to bring any wins, but now Babar has changed that.

MORE: When did Babar Azam score his last Test century?

The best win-loss ratio record as away captain in Test history

The victory was Babar's ninth away win in 12 Tests as captain, a return that gives him the finest overseas win-loss ratio of any skipper in the history of the format.

If filtered by a minimum of 12 away Tests, the numbers place him narrowly ahead of some of the game's most celebrated leaders.

Babar's ratio of 3.00 edges him above Australia's Steve Waugh and a host of other greats, underlining how effective his leadership has been away from home even as his personal batting form has fluctuated.

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MORE: Babar Azam captaincy record for Pakistan in Tests, ODIs and T20Is listed

A record that complicates the debate around Babar

There is a neat irony in Babar topping this particular list. His captaincy has been questioned repeatedly in recent years, and he was stripped of the white-ball roles amid a run of poor results, yet in the specific and demanding arena of away Test cricket, no captain in history can match his strike rate of success.

The caveat, of course, is sample size and context, as 12-away Tests are a smaller body of work than what Clive Lloyd or Steve Waugh compiled. Still, ending an eight-match overseas drought while sitting atop this record is a timely reminder of what Babar can offer Pakistan.

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With his batting also showing signs of a revival in this series, the win in Port of Spain may prove a significant marker in the next phase of his career. A three-match Test is about to start in England in less than two weeks, and if Babar wants to capitalise on this significant win, then that will be his chance. Pakistan has won. Now the century remains.

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