On the international circuit there are a few batsmen who are dominating world cricket with their consistent performances in all formats of the game. Indian captain Virat Kohli, Australia's Steve Smith, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Pakistan captain Babar Azam are among them.

Babar is the youngest player among this elite group of top batters. He is one of the very few players, who have performed consistently in all three formats of the game.

Babar continued to pile up runs in international cricket as he registered his ninth Test century against New Zealand in the first Test in Karachi. Babar has scored eight hundreds and 17 fifties in international cricket this year.

In the first innings of the first Test against New Zealand in Karachi, Babar scored another century. It was his third century in Karachi.

Despite the contrasting performance of the team in Test cricket this year, the skipper has shown in the format with more than 1000 runs in nine matches. During the calendar year, only three other batters scored over 1000 runs in Tests.

The 28-year-old has now scored the most international runs in a calendar year. After scoring his 13th run in the first innings Babar went past Mohammad Yousuf's record of 2435 runs in 2006.

After scoring yet another fifty, he also equalled Sri Lanka batting great Kumar Sangakkara's record of most 50-plus scores, 25, in a calendar year. The left-hander had achieved the feat in 2014.

Babar also has the best century percentage among all the batsmen who have batted in at least 30 innings. With 17 centuries in 90 innings, Babar's percentage of centuries is 18.88%.

Babar is also now the highest run-scorer in Test cricket in 2022, surpassing England's Joe Root (1098) on the list. He also now has the highest fifty plus scores (25) as captain in a calendar year (2022), surpassed former Australian captain Ricky Ponting's record of 24 half centuries in 2005.

In addition, with those eight centuries, he surpassed West Indies legend Brian Lara, Steve Smith, Mahela Jayawardene, and Graeme Smith to become the captain with the most international tons in a calendar year. Babar's eight-centuries in 2022 ranked him third on the all-time list.

Babar became the most successful Pakistani batsman runs in 2022 across the three formats. He surpassed 16-year-old record by former skipper Mohammad Yousuf (2435) runs in 2006.

In Test cricket, he is on the second position behind Australia's M. Labuschagne.

Babar has shown similar consistency in ODI cricket this year as well, scoring 679 runs in nine matches. In eight of those matches, he has registered scores of 50 or more while also marshalling his troops to three series victories.

Overall Babar has an impressive ODI average of 59.79. In 92 ODIs, he has scored 4,664 runs with 17 hundred and 22 half-centuries. In the ICC ranking of ODI players, Babar is on top with 891 points. Imam-ul-Haq is behind him with 779 points.

In the 2019 ODI home series against Sri Lanka, Babar became the fastest batsman to make 1,000 runs in a calendar year in ODIs for Pakistan. He took just 19 innings to reach the landmark, two less than Javed Miandad, who scored 1,000 runs in 21 innings in 1987. During this period, he scored two centuries and seven half centuries. He was the only batsman to reach the 1,000-run mark in 2019.

In the 2019 World Cup, too, Babar's performance was remarkable. He surpassed Miandad's record of 437 runs in a single World Cup (1992). Despite Pakistan's early exit, Babar finished with 474 runs. He hit a century against New Zealand and three 50s.

In January 2017, Babar was also the joint-fastest player in history to score 1,000 runs in ODIs. He reached the landmark in just 21 innings, joining West Indies great Viv Richards, England's Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott, and South Africa's Quinton de Kock.

With the hundred in the second ODI against Australia this year, Babar became the first Pakistan captain to score an ODI century against Australia. Before him Imran Khan's 82 was the best captain's knock from Pakistan -- at Brisbane in 1990.

For his outstanding performance against Australia, Babar was adjudged as "Player of the Month" for March 2022. He beat West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Australian skipper Pat Cummins in the contest. He is the first player to have won the ICC Men's Player of the Month award on two occasions. He previously did it in April 2021.

He was the second fastest player to 2000 ODI runs and the second quickest to 1000 T20I runs.

Babar has scored six centuries in ODIs while chasing, the second most for Pakistan-- behind Saeed Anwar's 10 hundreds. Babar's five ODI hundreds as captain came in just 12 innings.

In the shortest format this year, he has accumulated 735 runs at a healthy average of 31.95 while striking at 123.32.

Babar is on fourth position in the Twenty20 format with 778 points. He has played 99 T20 Internationals, and scored 3,355 runs, averaging 41.41, hitting two centuries and 30 fifties.

Despite his heroics with the bat, Babar has come under scrutiny for his captaincy. Under him, Pakistan suffered a whitewash against England in a home Test series for the first time in the history. A series of Test defeats might force the authorities to reconsider their decision of appointing Babar for all three formats. In the meantime, however, Babar seems set to continue his purple patch with the bat.

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