Top 5 Best Individual Innings by Pakistan Batters in Asia Cup History

Pakistan have produced some of the most breathtaking batting performances in Asia Cup history. From last-ball finishes against India to record-breaking hundreds, Pakistani batters have repeatedly risen to the biggest occasions in the continent’s flagship tournament. Here are the five greatest individual innings by Pakistan batters in the Asia Cup, ranked by their impact, context and sheer drama.

1. Afridi’s 34 Not Out vs India, Mirpur 2014

No innings on this list lasted fewer balls, and none mattered more. Pakistan were chasing 246 against India in the 2014 Asia Cup at Mirpur and had slipped to 203 for 7, then 236 for 9. With 10 runs needed off the last over, Shahid Afridi was on strike against Ravichandran Ashwin.

What happened next is etched into cricket folklore. Afridi launched the second ball of the over over long-on for six, then repeated the dose off the fourth ball, sealing a one-wicket win with two balls to spare. His unbeaten 34 off 18 balls, with two fours and two sixes, came at a strike rate of nearly 189 and turned certain defeat into one of Pakistan’s most famous wins over India. In a tournament Pakistan would go on to contest in the final, this was the innings that defined their campaign.

2. Babar Azam‘s 151 vs Nepal, Multan 2023

The highest individual score by a Pakistani in Asia Cup history. Opening the 2023 tournament at Multan, Babar Azam produced a masterclass against Nepal, scoring 151 off 131 balls with 14 fours and 4 sixes. It was the first century of the tournament and set the tone for Pakistan’s strong start as co-hosts.

What made the innings special was its completeness. Babar started cautiously, respected the new ball, and then accelerated through the middle overs with textbook drives and wristy flicks. He added a 214-run partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed, who smashed his own hundred, as Pakistan posted 342 for 6. Nepal were bowled out for 104, and Pakistan won by 238 runs. For a generation of fans, this was Babar at his absolute peak.

3. Shoaib Malik’s 125 not out vs India, Karachi 2008

The 2008 Asia Cup produced a batting shootout for the ages at the National Stadium in Karachi. Batting first, Pakistan posted 315 for 3, built around Shoaib Malik’s unbeaten 125 off 119 balls and Younis Khan’s fluent hundred. Malik’s innings was a lesson in pacing a one-day knock: he rotated strike early, targeted the spinners in the middle overs, and finished with a flourish.

India chased the target down with six wickets in hand, thanks to Virender Sehwag’s 119 and Suresh Raina’s 84, which slightly dims the memory of Malik’s hundred. But as a pure batting performance in the fiercest rivalry in cricket, played in front of a packed home crowd, it remains one of the finest Asia Cup innings by a Pakistani.

4. Younis Khan’s 100 vs India, Karachi 2008

In the very same Karachi run-fest, Younis Khan produced an innings of rare elegance. His 100 off 117 balls, studded with crisp drives through the covers, complemented Malik’s power-hitting perfectly. The pair added 176 runs for the third wicket and took Pakistan past 300 against an Indian attack that had no answers that day.

Younis was always a big-match player, and this hundred, in a home Asia Cup against India, showcased his class. That two Pakistani batters scored hundreds in the same innings against India tells you everything about how good the batting conditions were, and how well both men played.

5. Mohammad Rizwan’s 71 vs India, Dubai 2022

The Asia Cup’s T20 editions have their own classics, and Mohammad Rizwan’s 71 off 51 balls against India in the 2022 group stage in Dubai stands out. Chasing 148, Rizwan anchored the innings with a perfect blend of caution and aggression, holding one end while wickets fell around him and then accelerating at the death.

Pakistan won by 5 wickets with two balls to spare, and Rizwan’s innings was the backbone of the chase. In a tournament where Pakistan would reach the final, this was the night their wicketkeeper-batter announced himself as one of the finest T20 openers in the world.

Pakistan’s Asia Cup Batting Legacy

Beyond these five innings, Pakistan’s Asia Cup batting history is rich with memorable knocks. Inzamam-ul-Haq produced several match-winning fifties in the 1990s and 2000s editions, while Saeed Anwar’s elegant strokeplay lit up multiple tournaments. The 2012 triumph, Pakistan’s second Asia Cup title, was built on collective batting contributions rather than one giant hundred, with the final against Bangladesh going down to the last over.

What connects the great Pakistan Asia Cup innings is the occasion. Pakistani batters have historically saved their best for the biggest stages, and no stage in Asian cricket is bigger than a packed stadium for an India-Pakistan clash. From Sharjah in the 1980s to Dubai and Colombo in the modern era, the green shirts have produced innings that fans still talk about decades later.

What Makes These Innings Special

Three of the five came against India, which is no coincidence. The Asia Cup has been the stage where Pakistan’s batters have most often announced themselves, because nothing sharpens a performance like the sport’s biggest rivalry. Afridi’s sixes, Babar’s record hundred and Rizwan’s ice-cool chase all share one trait: they were played under the heaviest pressure, and they delivered.

Who has scored the most runs for Pakistan in Asia Cup history?

Pakistan’s leading run-scorers in the Asia Cup include veterans like Shahid Afridi and modern stars like Babar Azam, whose 151 against Nepal in 2023 is the highest individual score by a Pakistani in the tournament.

### What is the highest individual score by a Pakistani in the Asia Cup?

Babar Azam’s 151 off 131 balls against Nepal at Multan in 2023 is the highest individual score by a Pakistan batter in Asia Cup history.

### Which Pakistan batter hit the winning sixes against India in the 2014 Asia Cup?

Shahid Afridi hit two sixes off Ravichandran Ashwin in the final over at Mirpur, finishing unbeaten on 34 off 18 balls as Pakistan beat India by one wicket.

### How many hundreds have Pakistan batters scored against India in the Asia Cup?

Pakistan batters have scored multiple hundreds against India in the Asia Cup, most famously Shoaib Malik’s 125 not out and Younis Khan’s 100 in the same innings at Karachi in 2008.

### Did Pakistan win the Asia Cup in the years of these great innings?

Pakistan reached the final in 2014 but lost to Sri Lanka. They won the Asia Cup in 2000 and 2012, and finished runners-up in several other editions including 2022.