Babar Azam's Near-Perfect Ton Shatters T20 Records in PSL Rout

Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam rewrote T20 record books on Sunday in the Pakistan Super League's 29th match, smashing an unbeaten 100 off 52 balls against Quetta Gladiators. Featuring six fours and four sixes, the innings included just one dot ball—making him the first batter ever to face 50-plus deliveries with only a single dot in T20 cricket.[1][2][3][4] Zalmi posted 255/3, their highest in PSL history's third spot, before bowling out Quetta for 137 to secure a 118-run victory.[3] Azam's century ended a 783-day drought and elevated him to second all-time with 12 T20 hundreds, trailing only Chris Gayle's 22.[1][2][3][4] He reached 12,000 T20 runs in a blistering 338 innings, faster than Gayle's 344 and Virat Kohli's 360, while tying Kohli for the fastest to 100 T20 half-centuries.[3][4] Across 355 T20 matches, Azam has amassed 12,306 runs at a 42.72 average, with 100 fifties.[1][2] Kusal Mendis chipped in 83 runs to fuel Zalmi's onslaught, as Azam's strike rotation silenced critics amid his status as PSL 2026's second-highest scorer.[1][3] The former Pakistan captain's knock, his quickest PSL ton, equaled Kohli's elite partnership mark and showcased T20 mastery.[3][4] This performance cements Azam's legacy in the format, outpacing idols in key milestones while leading Zalmi toward playoff contention in PSL 11.[3][4]