Babar Azam Smashes All-Time Record, Goes Past Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle
Babar Azam became the quickest batter to score 9000 runs in T20 cricket, going past Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle.
One of the finest batters of this generation, Babar Azam has been running riot with the bat in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) this season. The batter, at present, occupies the second spot in the list of top run-getters, only behind Mohammad Rizwan. As Babar led Peshawar Zalmi to an important win over Islamabad United with a 64-run knock, he went on to smash a world record. Babar went past greats like Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle in the process, becoming the first fastest batter to score 9000 runs in T20 cricket.
The 39-ball 64 was against Islamabad was Babar's 6th half-century of the season. Babar reached the 9000-run milestone in the shortest format of the game in a total of 245 innings. Earlier, Gayle held the record, having reached the milestone in 249 innings. Virat Kohli stands third in the list, having taken 271 innings to scale Mt. 9k.
David Warner of Australia (in 273 innings) and Aaron Finch (in 281 innings) follow the trio of Babar, Gayle and Kohli in the top five.
Peshawar's win over Islamabad also earned them a spot in the Eliminator 2 where they will face Lahore Qalandars. The winner of the contest will qualify for the final and take on Mulatan Sultans on Sunday.
Speaking of his team's win after the match, "The way the fast bowlers executed and came back, it was outstanding. The ball started to reverse after 10 overs. We couldn't finish well with the bat, we were 20 runs short. There's always room for improvement. We need to bowl well in the first six overs."
Babar would hope to keep his and his team's form intact for a couple of more games as Peshawar Zalmi look to lift the PSL 8 title.
Babar Azam