Melbourne: Pakistan’s superstar batter Babar Azam continued to make waves in the Big Bash League (BBL) 15, joining former England captain Jos Buttler in the record books after a match-winning performance for Sydney Sixers against Melbourne Renegades at Docklands Stadium on Thursday.

Babar anchored the chase with a composed 58 not out off 46 balls, featuring four boundaries and a six, guiding the Sixers to a comfortable six-wicket victory. This innings also marked his 97th T20 half-century, drawing him level with Buttler for the third-most fifties in T20 cricket history.

What makes the feat even more remarkable is the speed at which Babar reached it. He achieved the milestone in just 333 T20 matches, scoring 11 centuries along the way, while Buttler needed 476 matches to reach the same tally with eight hundreds.

The all time record for T20 fifties is still held by David Warner (113), followed by Virat Kohli (105). Babar and Buttler now share third place, ahead of Alex Hales (92).

Top T20 Fifties:

• David Warner – 113
• Virat Kohli – 105
• Babar Azam – 97
• Jos Buttler – 97
• Alex Hales – 92

With this innings, Babar’s overall tally of 50+ scores in T20 cricket rose to 108, including 97 half-centuries and 11 centuries, placing him fourth on the all-time list, behind Warner (121), Kohli (114), and Chris Gayle (110).

Babar’s stellar performance not only broke records but also proved decisive as Sydney Sixers claimed their second win of BBL 15, climbing to fifth on the points table. Meanwhile, Melbourne Renegades remain seventh with just one victory, sitting above only Sydney Thunder.