PSL 2024, Babar Azam hammers his 85th T20 fifty: Stats
What's the story
Peshawar Zalmi skipper Babar Azam played a match-winning knock against the Multan Sultans in the 2024 Pakistan Super League in Rawalpindi.
He hammered his third fifty of the ongoing PSL campaign as his 40-ball 64 powered his team to a massive total of 204/5.
Ultimately, Peshawar Zalmi won the match by four runs.
Babar has now raced to 85 fifties in the 20-over format.
Knock
Captain's knock from Babar
Babar batted beautifully from the outset as he stitched up an 84-run stand with Saim Ayub. Both batters dispatched loose balls and made full use of the field restrictions.
He slowed down once Ayub was dismissed but again forged a 51-run stand with Haseebullah Khan.
Babar's 40-ball 64 was laced with seven boundaries and two maximums. Babar was dismissed by Usama Mir.
Record
Leading run-getter in the 2024 PSL
As per ESPNcricinfo, Babar has amassed 394 runs from seven matches in the 2024 PSL at 65.66 (SR: 152.12). This is his third fifty in the ongoing season while he has also smashed a century.
Notably, he is the highest run-getter in the tournament this season. Only Reeza Hendricks (304) and Rassie van der Dussen (300) have breached the 300-run mark this season.
Runs
3,000 runs in the PSL
Babar surpassed 3,000 PSL runs earlier this season. He became the first batter to achieve this feat.
Currently, Babar has raced to 3,329 runs from 86 PSL encounters at 45.6.
He owns two centuries and 31 fifties in the competition. No other batter has even amassed 2,500 runs in the PSL.
Feats
Babar owns these PSL feats
The 29-year-old's PSL average of 45.6 is the highest among batters with at least 1,000 runs in the competition.
Babar owns 33 fifty-plus scores in the competition, the highest by any batter in the PSL. Lahore Qalandars dasher Fakhar Zaman with 20 fifty-plus scores trails him in this regard.
Babar also leads the PSL with 365 fours.
Record
Fastest to 10,000 T20 runs
Earlier in the PSL campaign, Babar completed 10,000 runs in T20 cricket. Babar was the fastest to reach the milestone as he completed it in 271 innings. The Pakistani batter surpassed Chris Gayle, who took 285 innings to complete the landmark.
Notably, he became the second Pakistani batter to achieve the sensational feat.
Babar now owns 10,320 runs at 44.29 (100s: 11, 50s: 85).
Summary
Here's the match summary
Zalmi were off to a good start as Babar and Ayub added 84 runs together. Later, Babar stitched up a 51-run partnership to power Peshawar Zalmi to a total of 204/5. Usama starred for Multan with 3/32.
In reply, Sultans lost their openers inside the first ten overs. Later, Iftikhar Ahmed hammered a 27-ball 60* but they fell short by four runs.