Pakistan batter Babar Azam has etched his name in the record books as he has broken former West Indies hard-hitter Chris Gayle’s massive record in the T20 format. Babar became the fastest player to reach 12,000 runs in T20 cricket.
He achieved this milestone during his 351st match in Karachi, playing for the Peshawar Zalmi in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) against Karachi Kings. Babar reached the landmark in just 338 innings.
He surpassed the previous record held by former West Indies legend Chris Gayle, who had reached the mark in 343 innings and remains the highest run-scorer in T20S. India’s star batter Virat Kohli sits third on the list, having taken 360 innings to achieve the feat.
Babar needed just 13 runs during the PSL clash between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings to enter the 12,000-run club in T20 cricket, and he reached the milestone in the fourth over of Zalmi’s innings.
With this achievement, Babar became only the second Pakistani batter to cross the 12,000-run mark in T20S. The record for the most T20 runs by a Pakistani player is still held by veteran batter Shoaib Malik.
Babar opened the innings for Peshawar Zalmi and remained unbeaten on 87 off 51 deliveries. He struck 10 fours and two sixes during his fluent knock and stitched a commanding 191-run partnership for the second wicket with Kusal Mendis, guiding Zalmi to an imposing total of 246/3 in their allotted 20 overs.
Chasing a massive total of 247, Karachi Kings were bundled out for just 87, courtesy of some brilliant bowling from Iftikhar Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Sufiyan Muqeem, with each bowler scalping three wickets each.
“Our plan was to make the most of the first six overs because that momentum carries through the innings. The partnership between me and Mendis was crucial, and we wanted to carry that momentum forward without letting it break. There was a lot of planning. The main idea was not to let the momentum drop. While batting, we were constantly managing the innings and targeting specific bowlers, deciding who to attack and where,” Babar said after the match.
“The pitch was very good, so we backed our shots. Our goal was to take the partnership as deep as possible and I think that made the difference in the innings. I think it was a complete team effort. When you get confidence from the batting, it reflects in the bowling as well. Even in the previous match, our bowling was good, we restricted runs. Today, the spinners dominated early, and then the fast bowlers took over,” he further added.
