Babar Azam scores 103, took Zalmi to PSL final and equals multiple PSL records

As we have said before, Babar Azam is not chasing records, records are chasing him. He is in scintillating form, playing effortless cricket and rewriting PSL history with almost every innings.

Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam delivered yet another statement performance, smashing a blistering 103 off 59 balls against Islamabad United in the Qualifier of PSL 11 at the National Bank Stadium on Tuesday. He brought his century with a maximum and the crowd in Karachi really enjoyed this spectacle.

In a high pressure clash, Babar came clutch, led from the front with a knock filled with control and authority, striking 12 fours and four sixes to power Zalmi to a commanding 221/7 in 20 overs.

Zalmi backed up their batting effort with a clinical performance with the ball, bundling Islamabad United out for 151 to seal a dominant 70 run victory and book their place in the PSL 11 final, driven by Babar’s heroics.

A season to remember

His 57 ball century was his second of the ongoing edition, making him only the second player in PSL history to score two hundreds in a single season, joining Usman Khan, who achieved the feat in PSL 9.

It was also Babar’s fourth PSL century overall, bringing him level with Usman Khan at the top of the all time list. Overall, this was his 13th T20 hundred.

Matching a long standing record

The century also took Babar to 588 runs this season, equalling Fakhar Zaman’s record for most runs in a single PSL edition. Fakhar had set the benchmark in 2022 with 588 runs in 13 innings.

Babar, however, reached the same number in just 10 innings, underlining the dominance of his campaign. He is currently averaging 98.00 with a strike rate of 146.63, including two centuries and three fifties.

Most centuries in PSL

Usman Khan – 4 in 35 innings
Babar Azam – 4 in 110 innings
Kamran Akmal – 3 in 74 innings

Most runs in a PSL season

Fakhar Zaman – 588 runs in 2022
Babar Azam – 588 runs in PSL 11*
Babar Azam – 569 runs in 2024
Babar Azam – 554 runs in 2021
Mohammad Rizwan – 550 runs in 2023
Mohammad Rizwan – 546 runs in 2022

A record of consistency

Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam on Tuesday added another feather to his cap as he became the first batter to score 500 runs in a single edition for the fourth time in PSL history. Babar is back in form and he is hitting runs with authority once again.