Babar Azam made a stunning return to form with a match-winning, unbeaten century in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He led Peshawar Zalmi against Quetta Gladiators in Karachi on Sunday. The Peshawar skipper hammered 100 off just 52 balls, striking six fours and four sixes.
His explosive innings, combined with Kusal Mendis' 83, powered Peshawar to a massive 255/3 in 20 overs. The bowlers then completed the job, bundling out Quetta for 137 in 18.1 overs.
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During his entertaining knock, the former Pakistan skipper achieved a major milestone, surpassing Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle to become the fastest batter to reach 12,000 runs in T20 cricket. He got there in just 338 innings, while the former West Indies big-hitter had taken 344 innings and Virat Kohli took 360 innings.
'Scoring a hundred always feels special'
Babar also strengthened his position in terms of batters with the most T20 centuries. While Chris Gayle tops the list with 22 T20 hundreds, Babar now has 12, placing him second overall.
Speaking after the match, Babar reflected on the milestone with gratitude. "Scoring a hundred always feels special, no matter how many you've made before, and there's a different kind of satisfaction in reaching that milestone again," he said.
"When I took that run off the last ball, I had a slight doubt because after playing the shot I felt I might be late, but then when I completed it and realized I had gotten there, it brought out a completely different emotion, and I'm grateful to Almighty for helping me achieve it," he added.
Babar Azam's Struggles
The record adds another layer to Babar's already impressive resume, reinforcing his consistency across formats. This win is Babar's second T20 century since February 2024. He scored an unbeaten 111 from 63 balls against Islamabad United on Feb. 26, 2024.
The comeback is particularly significant given his recent struggles. The 31-year-old has played 145 T20Is for Pakistan and has scored 4,596 runs, including 39 fifties and three centuries. At the 2026 T20 World Cup recently, he scored a modest 91 runs in six matches, which led to his omission from Pakistan's ODI squad against Bangladesh.
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