Babar Azam has electrified PSL 9 with his stunning century on Monday against Islamabad United, breaking new ground in T20 cricket day after day. When pushed against the wall, he always comes back strong with his bat. Known for being more reserved verbally, Babar lets his bat speak volumes in response to his critics.

The last few months have been a tough phase in his illustrious career, especially with his team’s underperformance at the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in India. As the captain, he bore the brunt of the criticism for Pakistan’s disappointing show, which even led to him losing his captaincy. However, this setback has only transformed his approach to batting, with 2024 turning out to be a remarkable year for the former captain. Let’s take a closer look at his T20 career and discover how he has emerged as a T20 colossus recently.

The Milestone Man: Babar Azam’s Journey to 10,000 Runs in T20s Top of Form

Babar Azam has recently reached a major milestone in T20 cricket by scoring 10,000 runs. He stands out as the most consistent batter in T20 cricket, managing to score over 30 in more than half of his innings. This remarkable consistency means that he makes a significant impact nearly every other time he walks out to bat.

It’s this ability that allowed him to complete 10,000 runs in T20s in the least number of innings, achieving this incredible achievement in just 271 innings. In doing so, Babar has left behind T20 legends such as Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Keiron Pollard, and Rohit Sharma. In the elite club of players with over 10,000 T20 runs, Babar Azam boasts an average of 44.39, which is the highest among all its members. Virat Kohli follows him with an average of 41.21.

In his T20 career so far, Babar has crossed the 50-run mark 95 times. Out of these, 46 of his fifty-plus scores have come in matches that resulted in a win for his team. This statistic highlights Babar’s crucial role in his team’s successes, showing that almost half the time he scores fifty or more, his team ends up winning the match.

Babar Azam’s T20 Brilliance: Babar Azam’s Journey to 11 Centuries

Now, let’s talk about the Babar Azam centuries. His recent century against Islamabad United was the 11th century of his T20 career. With these centuries, Babar has surpassed many T20 specialists. Currently, only Chris Gayle is ahead of him, with a total of 22 centuries in T20s. Interestingly, Babar Azam has hit 8 of his total 11 T20 centuries since the start of 2020. This fact alone cements his dominance in T20 cricket, establishing a record that is nothing short of unbelievable.

Focusing specifically on the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the magnificent century Babar scored on the 26th of February was his second in the PSL. What’s amazing is that both of his centuries have been scored while playing for Peshawar Zalmi. This achievement puts Babar in the elite group of players who have scored more than one century in the PSL, making him the sixth player to achieve this feat. It’s a testament to his exceptional skill and consistent performance in the league.

Babar Azam’s Transformation: Peshawar Zalmi’s Game Changer with Record Runs and Strike Rate

Babar Azam has become the first player to achieve the impressive feat of scoring 3000 runs in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). This milestone was reached during the second match of PSL season 9, in a game against Quetta Gladiators. Remarkably, Babar accomplished this in just 78 innings. In 2023, Babar made the move from Karachi Kings to join Peshawar Zalmi as their captain. Since he arrived at Zalmi, he has been a key player, accounting for 28% of the team’s total runs, which is a record in the PSL. To date, he has amassed 852 runs in 16 innings for Peshawar Zalmi, boasting an impressive strike rate of 147.

Looking at Babar Azam’s performance over the past three years, there has been a significant improvement in his strike rate. Before joining Peshawar Zalmi, his strike rate in the PSL 2022 was 119. After joining Zalmi, Babar transformed his game, achieving a robust strike rate of 145 in the PSL 2023.

This year in PSL 9, he has outdone himself, playing with an even better strike rate of 151. Despite facing criticism for his strike rate in the past, Babar has shown remarkable improvement over the last three PSL seasons, elevating his strike rate from 119 to over 150. This enhancement in his performance is truly remarkable and highlights the exceptional class of Babar Azam as a player.

Babar Azam maintaining his excellent form is crucial for the Pakistan team, especially with the T20 World Cup just three months away. His skills in adapting and boosting his strike rate in T20 matches are promising signs for Pakistan Cricket.