Babar Azam and Virat Kohli (Image-X) Under pressure, Babar Azam knocked the captain and smashed his second century of the ongoing Pakistan Super League season to lead Peshawar Zalmi to the final with a commanding victory over Islamabad United in Karachi.Babar led from the front, scoring a brilliant 103 off 59 deliveries, an innings with 12 boundaries and four sixes. His efforts took Zalmi to an impressive 221/7 on what was considered a difficult surface. A strong total proved more than enough as Islamabad United were bowled out for 151 to seal a comprehensive victory in the qualifiers.
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Kumar Sangakkara on RR’s win over Punjab KingsWhile 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, bringing him level with Usman Khan for the most hundreds in the tournament. His consistency this season has been remarkable, his tally has now reached 588 runs, equaling the record for most runs in a single edition of the PSL, previously set by Fakhar Zaman in 2022.On a larger scale, Babar also etched his name in T20 history by setting a new benchmark for most centuries by a captain in the format. This was his ninth T20 hundred as captain, moving him ahead of Faf du Plessis, with whom he previously shared the record.Most T20 centuries as captain:Babar Azam – 9thFaf du Plessis – 8Michael Klinger – 7Virat Kohli – 5James Vince – 5Considering his form, Babar praised his preparation and approach. “I’m starting to feel like I’m back to my best. I’m trying to keep things simple and trust my abilities and just execute my game according to the situation – what the pitch requires, 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 captain as he also equaled Virat Kohli and Abhishek Sharma in another notable category. Babar now has eight T20 centuries for Pakistan, equaling the record for most hundreds by one man in one country.
