Babar Azam and Virat Kohli (Image credit: Agencies)
The leap, the roar, the punches in the air – it all said it all about Babar Azam’s emotions on Sunday. The Pakistani star has finally ended his century long wait, and his celebration tells the whole story.
Representing Peshawar Zalmi in the 2026 Pakistan Super League, Babar produced a stunning hundred against Quetta Gladiators.Babar smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 52 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes. His power-packed batting powered Peshawar Zalmi to 255/3 in 20 overs at the National Stadium in Karachi.In reply, Quetta Gladiators were bowled out for 137 runs while Peshawar Zalmi registered a dominant 118-run victory.
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One of the most notable aspects of Babar’s innings was his control – he played just one dot ball in his 52-ball knock, a rare feat. This was the first time in the history of T20 cricket that a batsman faced more than 50 deliveries while playing just one dot ball.The long wait is over for Babar AzamThere was relief and joy when Babar took off his helmet and celebrated his century. After enduring a lean patch, he had to wait 783 days to reach the three-figure mark.He also achieved another major milestone, completing 12,000 runs in T20 cricket in just 338 innings – the fastest to reach the milestone. In doing so, he surpassed the records of Chris Gayle (344 runs) and Virat Kohli (360 runs).