Another record for Babar Azam; records just keep chasing him

Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam reached a major milestone in Pakistan Super League 11 during their clash against Lahore Qalandars at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Saturday.

Babar played a measured but important innings of 43 off 40 balls, striking three fours and one six. With this knock, he became the first batter in PSL history to cross 4,000 career runs. He reached the landmark in his 105th PSL match and now holds a career strike rate of 127.92, along with 37 half centuries and two hundreds. It was not his most explosive knock, but it was a crucial one that helped anchor the innings.

Batting first, Zalmi got off to a lively start through Mohammad Haris, who scored 18 off 10 before falling to Shaheen Afridi. Babar then joined Kusal Mendis, and the pair took control of the innings with a fluent stand that pushed Zalmi into a strong position.

Mendis was the aggressor, striking a brilliant 74 off 48 balls, laced with five fours and four sixes. Babar played the anchor role as the pair put together a 109 run stand before Usama Mir removed Babar in the 16th over. Michael Bracewell added a brisk 21 off 10 deliveries, but a late burst from Shaheen Afridi, who finished with three wickets, restricted Zalmi to 173 for 7.

Defending 173, Zalmi’s bowlers were ruthless. Sufiyan Muqeem and Michael Bracewell took three wickets each as Lahore Qalandars collapsed for just 97 runs. It was a complete performance from Zalmi and a tough night for the Qalandars, who suffered their fifth straight defeat of the season.

With this dominant win, Peshawar Zalmi not only collected two crucial points but also moved to the top of the table, sending a strong message to the rest of the league.