Despite Peshawar Zalmi’s excellent form in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL), Babar Azam’s slow batting has remained a topic of discussion among cricket fans. Pakistan’s star batsman said that for him, batting at a lightning-fast strike rate depends on many factors.
On Monday, April 13, Babar Azam-led Peshawar Zalmi defeated Multan Sultans to cement their place at the top of the PSL 2026 points table. With five wins and one no result from 6 matches, Zalmi is on top of the points table with 11 points.
Babar Azam’s strike rate against Multan Sultans was less than 100
Against Multan Sultans, while batsmen like Kusal Mendis and Mohammad Haris performed while maintaining a good strike rate, Babar was out with a strike rate below 100.
After the match, during the press conference, the Peshawar Zalmi captain was asked about his personal views on his strike rate in the Twenty20 format. The 31-year-old replied that his priority as a batsman is to understand the situation as players perform in different conditions.
Babar Azam gave his views on strike rate
Babar Azar said after the PSL 2026 match, “You have to play in different ways at different numbers. What kind of guard to play with at that time, you also have to look at the scoreboard and the strike rate also creates a lot of trouble. I believe that you have to assess the conditions first of all.”
The Peshawar Zalmi captain further added, “You have to assess that the wicket is not the same every day. You cannot play the same way every day. You have to face challenges; the opposition team also comes with their homework done and you cannot hit your favorite shots freely. On a good day, things will fall into place; otherwise, you have to work hard for it.”
Zalmi defeated the Sultans
Last night, Multan Sultans won the toss and invited Peshawar Zalmi to bat first. Zalmi got a strong start from their opening batsmen Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam. While Babar Azam was out after scoring only 15 runs from 20 with a strike rate of 90.00, with the help of a single 6, Harris continued to trouble the bowlers and scored 38 runs in just 17 balls. Sri Lankan batsman Kusal Mendis scored 68 runs in 40 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes. Farhan Yousuf’s 30 off 22 balls was also important for Zalmi to score 196 runs in 20 overs.
The early dismissal of Multan Sultans’ in-form batsman Sahibzada Farhan was crucial for the match. Steve Smith, Josh Philippe and Shan Masood added some vital runs to the Sultans’ scorecard, but it was not enough to surpass the target runs. The result was that Zalmi won the match by 24 runs. Sufiyan Muqeem was adjudged player of the match for his excellent bowling. Makim took three wickets in his 4 over spell at an economy rate of 7.50.
Peshawar Zalmi’s next PSL 2026 match is scheduled to take place against Quetta Gladiators on April 15 at the National Stadium Karachi.
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