Babar relieved after ending 807-day century drought

Babar Azam expressed deep gratitude and relief after ending his 807-day century drought in Pakistan's eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second ODI.

"The amount of support I got from my fans … it gave me a huge boost," Babar said after hitting an unbeaten 102 off 119 balls to help seal the series for his team.

He praised Pakistani supporters for standing by him relentlessly, "They never deserted me in my hard times. It's in those hard times that you work out who your true allies are."

Babar acknowledged that his struggle was not for lack of starts.

"I got starts in the previous series but I couldn't convert them into big runs," he admitted.

He highlighted his partnerships in the match -- first with Fakhar Zaman, then with Mohammad Rizwan -- crediting their game plans and his own belief, "I was backing my strengths and had confidence in myself."

He also spoke candidly about the mental strain during his lean patch. "It was a tough time … you can get stuck in a negative thought process … But you need to stick to your plan and believe that you'll get your reward," he said.

For Babar, the key was self-belief over external validation.

"People, coaches, everyone can tell you … but ultimately you have to back yourself," he noted. He urged young cricketers to remain consistent, "Belief, hard work and dedication needs to be there every day."

Babar's century also carried weight in the record books -- it was his 20th ODI hundred, bringing him level with Saeed Anwar for the most by a Pakistani in the format.