Kamal Ghorui
Babar Azam delivered a captain’s knock under pressure, smashing his second century of the ongoing Pakistan Super League season to guide Peshawar Zalmi into the final with a commanding win over Islamabad United in Karachi.Leading from the front, Babar struck a superb 103 off 59 deliveries, an innings with 12 boundaries and four sixes. His effort powered Zalmi to a formidable 221/7 on what was considered a tricky surface. The strong total proved more than enough, as Islamabad United were bowled out for 151, sealing a comprehensive victory in the Qualifier.
While Babar anchored the innings, he received solid support from the likes of Mohammad Haris, Kusal Mendis and Aaron Hardie, who kept the scoring rate high at the other end.The century also marked Babar’s fourth in PSL history, drawing him level with Usman Khan for the most hundreds in the tournament. His consistency this season has been remarkable, with his tally now reaching 588 runs, equalling the record for the most runs in a single PSL edition, previously set by Fakhar Zaman in 2022.On a broader stage, Babar also etched his name in T20 history by setting a new benchmark for the most centuries scored by a captain in the format. This was his ninth T20 hundred as skipper, taking him past Faf du Plessis, with whom he had earlier shared the record.Most T20 centuries as captain:Babar Azam – 9Faf du Plessis – 8Michael Klinger – 7Virat Kohli – 5James Vince – 5Reflecting on his form, Babar credited his preparation and approach. “I’m starting to feel like I’m getting back to my best. I’m trying to keep things simple and trust my skills, and just execute my game according to the situation – what the pitch demands, how to handle different bowlers, and when to attack. The hard work I put in before the PSL is helping now,” he said.There was more to celebrate for the Pakistan skipper, as he also matched Virat Kohli and Abhishek Sharma in another notable category. Babar now has eight T20 centuries in Pakistan, equalling the record for the most hundreds by a batter in a single country.
