Babar Azam has been absolutely phenomenal in T20 cricket despite not being rated highly in this format. He has delivered some exceptional performances in international T20s, which most of the people apparently know about. However, as far as Babar’s Pakistan Super League (PSL) performances are concerned, they are not highlighted or talked about as much as his international performances. Since the craze of PSL is in the air, let’s take a look at the top 5 knocks of Babar Azam in PSL.
1. 63* vs. Lahore Qalandars in the 2020 PSL Final:
Now, this was an easy choice. Babar Azam has played many excellent knocks in his PSL career, but the situation, the opposition, the conditions, and the stage he delivered this performance on truly made this knock the best of his PSL career. It was the el-classico of PSL; the pitch was behaving oddly; Karachi Kings were up against the arch-rivals in the final of the 2020 PSL and had never touched the prestigious trophy before.
Lahore Qalandars made only 134 while batting first on what seemed to be a really tricky pitch. However, they entered the field with Shaheen, Haris Rauf, Samit Patel, Dilbar Hussain, and David Wiese and ‘hope’ to rip through Karachi’s lineup. Qalandars were able to get a good start as the top three of the KK’s lineup, apart from Babar, could only score 46 runs off 50 balls combined. At one stage, they had KK at 49 for two down after seven overs. Still, one man stood absolutely resolute in front of the fiery LQ lineup as he took Shaheen and Rauf to the cleaners, scoring 63* off 49 balls with the help of seven gorgeous boundaries to guide Karachi Kings to their only Pakistan Super League victory.
2. 64 vs. Islamabad United in the 2023 PSL Playoffs:
In the eliminator of last year’s PSL, a Goku-version of Babar showed up as he simply destroyed United’s bowling lineup with carnage early in the innings. He smacked United’s bowlers all over the park. This knock had pull shots, hooks, cover drives, backfoot punches, cut shots, and late cuts and simply took the game away from one of the strongest teams in the PSL without playing any high-risk cricket.
He scored 64 off 39 balls with the help of ten insanely timed boundaries. He helped PZ post a total of 183, which Islamabad failed to chase by only 12 runs. Fun Fact: It was his 28th fifty in the Pakistan Super League.
3. 68 vs. Karachi Kings in the 2023 PSL:
This match wasn’t just Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings; it was essentially Babar Azam vs Karachi Kings. It marked Babar’s debut with a new franchise, facing off against his former team—the franchise that had disrespectfully removed him from their setup. Moreover, the captain of Karachi unfairly criticized Babar on national television, and Karachi’s star bowler, Muhammad Amir, also mocked him before the game. However, Babar remained calm, letting his bat do the talking.
In the very first over of the innings bowled by Amir, Babar smacked a time-stopping boundary through the covers, delivering a resounding message. He went on to score 68 runs off 46 balls, leading Peshawar to their first win of the season.
4. 90* vs. Multan Sultans in the 2021 PSL:
One of the Babar’s best chases in PSL came in the showdown between Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans at the home of Karachi, National Stadium. While chasing 196, he scored an unbeaten 90 off 60 balls at a strike rate of 150, including 13 fours and a six. He was also named Man of the Match for his excellent knock.
Fun Fact: Babar Azam has the most runs in PSL History (2935 runs), most fifties (28), 1xPlayer of the Tournament, 1xMOTM in the Finals, 1xMOTM in the Qualifier, most boundaries (6s+4s), and most catches as a fielder.
5. 65 vs. Multan Sultans in the 2020 PSL:
The PSL 2020 witnessed another masterclass from the Babar Azam, and this time it was Multan Sultans at the receiving end. In the first qualifier of the 2020 PSL, Multan batted first against Karachi, posting a target of 142 on the board.
When you look at the scorecard, this might seem like a regular knock, but in fact, it was a very well-paced and tactically savvy knock on a tricky pitch. Babar scored 65 off 53 balls, whereas the rest of the top three scored only 39 runs off 38. Babar earned the Man of the Match for his well-calculated knock.
So, this was it from our side on the top 5 knocks of Babar Azam in PSL. Which knock is your favorite, and which one do you think should have made this list? Do let us know in the comments.
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