Babar Azam Secures Historic 100th T20 Half-Century

Babar Azam, the captain of Peshawar Zalmi, achieved a momentous milestone in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) during a dominant eight-wicket victory over Quetta Gladiators. By scoring an unbeaten 71 runs off 51 deliveries, Azam recorded his 100th half-century in Twenty20 cricket, becoming the first Pakistani batsman to reach this figure.

Elite Company in Global T20 Cricket

With this achievement, Azam joins an exclusive group as only the fourth player in the history of the format to register 100 fifties. He follows Australia’s David Warner, India’s Virat Kohli, and England’s Jos Buttler. Notably, Azam reached this landmark in 341 innings, a faster rate than Buttler, who secured his 100th fifty in 468 innings during a recent Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture against Lucknow Super Giants.

In terms of overall 50-plus scores (combining centuries and half-centuries), Azam has now surpassed West Indian legend Chris Gayle. With 11 centuries and 100 fifties, Azam’s total of 111 fifty-plus scores places him third on the all-time list, overtaking Gayle’s 110 (22 centuries and 88 fifties).

All-Time T20 Fifty-Plus Score Leaders

Current Form in PSL 2024

Azam’s performance in the current PSL season remains highly consistent. He is one of only two batsmen to have surpassed the 300-run mark in the tournament thus far. His Peshawar Zalmi teammate, Kusal Mendis, currently leads the charts with 330 runs in six innings, while Azam follows closely in second place with 301 runs from the same number of appearances.

Statistically, Azam holds the highest batting average among the top ten run-scorers at 75.25. However, amongst the top five most prolific batsmen this season, his strike rate of 132.59 is the lowest. This milestone follows another record set last Saturday against Lahore Qalandars, where Azam became the first player in PSL history to reach 4,000 career runs in the league.

Peshawar Zalmi’s League Standing

The victory over Quetta Gladiators has fortified Peshawar Zalmi’s position at the summit of the PSL points table. Having played seven matches, they have accumulated 13 points, creating a significant cushion between themselves and the chasing pack. Multan Sultans currently occupy second place with 8 points from six matches, while Islamabad United sits in third with 7 points from six games.

As the tournament progresses, Azam’s individual accolades continue to provide a statistical foundation for his team’s pursuit of the title, further cementing his reputation as a premier anchor in the shortest format of the game.