Pakistan superstar Babar Azam finally brought an end to his long wait for a century with an exceptional knock for Peshawar Zalmi in their Pakistan Super League 2026 clash against Quetta Gladiators on Sunday in Karachi. Babar, who has enjoyed an incredible start to the tournament, produced an elegant performance, blasting a classy century that powered Zalmi to a massive total of 255/3 in 20 overs after they were asked to bat.
He was in full control throughout his innings, facing only one dot ball. His century held a special significance, as it came after a gap of 783 days. More importantly, it showed that Babar has returned to peak form, having received a lot of criticism previously. During the course of his innings, Babar also achieved a massive milestone, becoming the fastest player in T20 history to reach 12,000 runs, accomplishing the feat in 338 innings.
He overtook legends like Chris Gayle, who reached the mark in 344 innings, and Virat Kohli, who took 360 innings. The century was also Babar’s 12th in T20 cricket. Chris Gayle continues to lead the list with 22 centuries; Babar is sitting in second place. Notably, Babar's last knock in T20s was back in 2024. Talking about the match, Zalmi bowled Gladiators out for 137 in 18.1 overs to clinch a big 118-run win. So far, Peshawar Zalmi have been unbeaten in the tournament.