Babar racks up 100 T20 fifties as flawless Zalmi tame Gladiators

It appears no team has the mettle to halt the fabulous run of form that unbeaten Peshawar Zalmi have carried through the HBL PSL 2026 so far, winning six out of seven games, with one match washed out without a ball bowled.

While Sufiyan Muqeem continues to weave his magic, yet again claiming three wickets with sterling figures of three for 25, but it was Babar Azam who shone brightest on Wednesday night with a composed 71 not out, guiding Zalmi to an eight-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators in their chase of 156 at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

The opposition batting slump has become almost inevitable the moment Sufiyan Muqeem comes into the attack, as he once again proved decisive for Zalmi with a three-wicket haul. The batters he dismissed included key pillars of Quetta Gladiators’ batting lineup, Rilee Rossouw, Shamyl Hussain and Khawaja Nafay, helping him secure yet another Player of the Match award.

And his consistency has been so remarkable that he has become the first Pakistani bowler to take three wickets in five consecutive T20 matches.

But for the unversed, Match 23 of PSL 11 belonged to one man: Babar Azam.

The stylish right-hander looked composed, flawless, and, to top it off, sumptuous with his stroke-making as he struck 10 fours in his 51-ball fifty.

In the process, he also brought up his 100th T20 half-century, becoming the fourth batter to achieve the feat.

After Zalmi scored 11 of the first over when Mohammad Haris, who scored a 28-ball 35, struck two fours, Babar picked the gears from the next. He racked up three successive fours against Tom Curran, first with a flick, than the flawless cover and square drives.

The Zalmi ended the powerplay at 59 without losing any wicket, while Haris was removed in the 10^th over by Saud Shakeel at the score of 70.

Following his dismissal, Babar Azam partnered with in-form Kusal Mendis (21), as the duo kept Zalmi in control with a 49-run stand for the second wicket. The partnership ended in the 16th over when Mendis was dismissed by Alzarri Joseph.

Babar then anchored the chase and guided Zalmi home in the penultimate over, sharing an unbeaten 32-run stand for the third wicket with Aaron Hardie, who remained not out on 18.

First innings

Electing to field first, Zalmi opened the innings with Iftikhar Ahmed who picked up the wicket on the third ball as Hasan Nawaz’s 37 helped Quetta post 154 all out in 20 overs.

After Ahsan Ali was removed by Iftikhar for four while captain Saud Shakeel tried to stabilise the innings alongside Rilee Rossouw, adding 35 runs for the second wicket, but was run out for a 13-ball 16 in the fifth over.

Rossouw played a counter-attacking knock of 28 off 16 balls, while Hassan Nawaz contributed 37 off 35 deliveries.

However, consistent breakthroughs, including key strikes from Sufiyan Muqeem, kept halting any real momentum as the Gladiators first slipped to 86/4 in 11.4 overs and then 120/6 in 15.4 overs.

From there, the lower order failed to recover as Zalmi’s bowling attack dominated the final phase, taking the last four wickets for just 34 runs in the remaining 26 deliveries.

Muqeem and Abdul Basit starred with three wickets each, with Muqeem particularly economical, conceding just 25 runs in his four overs. Iftikhar Ahmed also contributed with a wicket as Zalmi wrapped up the innings efficiently.