KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam completed 500 runs in Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 9 during Qualifier 1 at Karachi’s National Bank Cricket Arena. The 29-year-old reached the 500-run mark for the third time in a single edition of the PSL. In 2021 he scored 554 runs while in 2023 he scored 522 runs.
Only Mohammad Rizwan has scored 500 or more in three editions of the PSL. The Multan Sultans captain achieved the feat in 2021 by scoring 500 runs, followed by 546 runs in 2022 and 550 in 2023. Lahore Qalandars batsman Fakhar Zaman holds the record for most points in a single edition of PSL.
The left-handed batsman did it in 2022 when he scored 588 runs. It should be noted that Qualifier 1 between Zalmi and Sultans is currently underway. Babar Azam won the toss and Zalmi bat first. The top teams clash in an exciting battle for supremacy that will also determine the first runner-up of the action-packed PSL season.
Sultans were the first team to reach the play-offs of the tournament with seven wins in their ten league stages before being joined by franchise Zalmi who won six of their ten matches. Babar Azam achieved several major milestones during the qualifier against Multan Sultans on Thursday.
In this match, he not only became the first batsman to cross the 1000-run mark in 2024, but also reached 500 runs for the third time in a single edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). During Qualifier 1 at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi, Peshawar Zalmi skipper Babar Azam crossed the milestone of 500 runs in the ninth season of the PSL.
The feat marked his third instance of achieving such a feat in a single edition of the PSL. He had previously amassed 554 runs in the 2021 edition and 522 runs in 2023. Notably, only Mohammad Rizwan has scored 500 or more runs in three editions of the PSL. Rizwan achieved this feat in 2021 with 500 runs, followed by 546 runs in 2022 and 550 runs in 2023.
Moreover, Babar Azam’s overall performance in the 2024 season saw him cross the 1000-run mark during the same match against Multan Sultans in the qualifiers. After reaching this milestone after 21 matches, Babar has maintained an impressive strike rate of over 135.
