3 min readUpdated: Apr 21, 2026 12:37 PM IST
Peshawar Zalmi’s commanding 118-run victory, built on a Babar Azam century, drew warm praise from former Pakistan cricketers Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal on YouTube channel Game Plan — but both men were equally firm that the performance should not be used to settle debates about Babar’s international record.
Basit called the innings among the finest in PSL history, citing the quality of the attack Babar had dismantled. “He faced two spinners and Alzarri Joseph — and Joseph is no ordinary spinner, he is a mystery spinner who has kept every batter under pressure in this tournament. That is the kind of century this was.” He added simply: “I was loving watching that batting.”
The pair were particularly enthusiastic about Babar’s partnership with Kusal Mendis, which they said had transformed how Babar plays in the format. “When Mendis scored his hundred, Babar gave him big support. This time Babar scored the hundred and Mendis gave him big support,” Kamran said. “This combination is suiting Peshawar Zalmi very well.”
Basit went further, arguing that the partnership had unlocked a version of Babar fans had long wanted to see. “In the last two or three years, there was no batter alongside him, the team was not built in a way that allowed him to play his own game, to take himself towards the modern-day style of batting. Mendis has made a big difference.” He also credited Harris Rauf’s explosive starts at the top of the order, saying that within the first over or two, “he releases all the pressure of batting first.”
But when fans on social media pointed to the performance as proof that Babar had silenced his critics, both analysts pushed back firmly. “There is a world of difference between international cricket and PSL,” Basit said. “What has happened to Pakistan cricket over the last six or seven years — that is the conversation.” He added: “If Babar shows even fifty percent of this standard in international cricket, we will praise him. The problem is our ICC event performances in 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 — where did we stand? You cannot mix PSL with that. This is not top bowling. These are not top teams.”
File image of Babar Azam playing for Pakistan national team. (AP photo)
Kamran echoed the point, tracing the problem back to team composition rather than Babar alone. “In the Pakistan team there is no batting lineup like this. Sometimes they send him at four, sometimes at three — it hurts him and it hurts the team.” He noted that at Zalmi, Babar always had cover: “If Mendis gets out, Bracewell is there. Samad is there. Faran Yousuf is there. That support is what any good player needs.”
On the broader tournament picture, Basit said he saw very few teams capable of living with Zalmi in their current form. “In my view, only Multan or Islamabad can give them a fight — and they already beat Multan in a one-sided match.” He then raised eyebrows by suggesting Zalmi’s form was so dominant they would arguably test Punjab Kings, currently setting the IPL alight, if the two sides were somehow to meet.
