Babar Azam matches three PSL records with century against Islamabad United

KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam matched three major Pakistan Super League records after scoring a century against Islamabad United in the Qualifier of the ongoing 11th edition at the National Bank Stadium on Tuesday.

Babar was the leading scorer in the match, making 103 from 59 balls. His innings included 12 fours and four sixes and helped Peshawar Zalmi post 221/7 in their 20 overs in the high-pressure fixture.

His hundred came off 57 deliveries and was his second century of the current PSL season. With that, Babar became only the second batter in the tournament's history to score two centuries in a single edition. Usman Khan had previously achieved the same feat in PSL 9 while representing Multan Sultans.

The knock was also Babar's fourth PSL century overall, taking him level with Hyderabad Kingsmen's Usman Khan, who also has four hundreds in the league. Usman's latest century came earlier in the league stage of the ongoing eight-team competition against Multan Sultans.

Most centuries in PSL

Babar's innings also brought him level with Lahore Qalandars batter Fakhar Zaman for the record of most runs in a single PSL season.

Fakhar had scored 588 runs in 13 innings for Lahore Qalandars in the seventh edition of the PSL. His tally included one century and seven half-centuries.

Babar reached the same aggregate in 10 innings in the ongoing season. According to the figures cited in the match report, he has scored those runs at an average of 98.00 and a strike rate of 146.63, with two centuries and three fifties.

Most runs in a PSL season

The century added another significant milestone to Babar's campaign in the current edition, with the Zalmi skipper continuing to lead from the front in one of the tournament's biggest matches.

His innings came in a Qualifier carrying major stakes, and it played a central role in lifting Peshawar Zalmi to a formidable total against Islamabad United at Karachi's National Bank Stadium.

The latest hundred means Babar now shares two major batting landmarks in PSL history: most centuries in the tournament and most runs in a single season. It also places him among the very small group of players to have scored two hundreds in one PSL edition.

With 103 in the Qualifier, Babar's season tally rose to 588 runs, matching Fakhar's long-standing benchmark and underlining the scale of his contribution for Peshawar Zalmi in the ongoing campaign.