New Delhi: An amazing century Babar Azam Powering Peshawar Zalmi to a mammoth 118-run victory that grabbed the attention of the entire cricketing world. While the knock earned widespread praise from former Pakistan stars Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal, the duo were quick to warn against reading too much into the future when it comes to Babar’s international performances.Buster was particularly impressed with the quality of Babar’s innings, calling it one of the best in the PSL. Experts said an important factor in Babar’s success was his partnership with Kusal Mendis, who scored 83 off 44 in the match.
Kamran explained, “When Mendis scored a hundred, Babar gave him a lot of support. This time Babar scored a hundred, Mendis gave him a lot of support,” and added, “The combination is a perfect fit for Peshawar Zalmi.” Basit agreed, noting how the partnership has allowed Babar to bat with more freedom: “Without batsmen playing alongside him in the last two or three years… Mendis has made a huge difference.” Despite the praise, both analysts denied that the innings answered questions about Babar’s international performance. Basit made it clear: “There is a world of difference between international cricket and the PSL.” He added, “If Babar performs fifty per cent of this standard in international cricket, we will praise him… You can’t confuse the PSL with this. This is not top bowling. These are not top teams.”Kamran echoed the same sentiment and added: “In the Pakistan team, there is no batting line-up like this. Sometimes they field him at number four, sometimes at number three; it hurts him and it hurts the team.”
