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Babar Azam won his first T20 title as captain, leading Peshawar Zalmi to victory over Hyderabad Kingsmen in the PSL final. Despite his team's success, Babar was dismissed for a golden duck during the match.
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NEW DELHI: Babar Azam celebrated a landmark moment in his career, lifting his first-ever T20 title as captain after guiding Peshawar Zalmi to a Pakistan Super League (PSL) triumph. Zalmi defeated Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets in the final at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.
Asked to bat first, Hyderabad were bowled out for 129, thanks to a superb spell from Aaron Hardie (4/27) and good support from Nahid Rana (2/22).
Chasing a modest target in front of a packed crowd, Zalmi completed the job in 15.2 overs to clinch the title.
While Babar achieved a major milestone as captain, he endured disappointment with the bat, falling for a golden duck. Mohammad Ali bowled a wide delivery that moved away sharply, and Babar edged a loose shot to the wicketkeeper.
After the match, a video featuring former Pakistan cricketers went viral. When asked about Babar’s dismissal, Ahmed Shehzad said: “Arre dafa karo. Duck pe to badi dafe out hua hai. Lekin mubarak ho Babar Azam ko. Aaj usne apni pehli trophy jeeti hai. Ye important hai. Come on, boys.”
Rashid Latif, who was also present, added: “Mubarak Babar Azam. Paan ka swaad aa gya aaj.”
Despite the failure in the final, Babar finished as the tournament’s highest run-scorer.
He played 11 matches, scoring 588 runs at an outstanding average of 73.50, including three fifties and two centuries, at a strike rate of 145.90.
| Player | Team | Matches | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100 | 50 | 0 |
|---|
Peshawar Zalmi defeated Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets, chasing down a target of 130 runs.
Aaron Hardie was the standout bowler for Hyderabad, taking 4 wickets for 27 runs.
Babar Azam was dismissed for a golden duck, edging a wide delivery to the wicketkeeper.
Babar Azam won his first T20 title as captain on Sunday during the PSL final.
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| 4s |
|---|
| 6s |
|---|
| Babar Azam | Peshawar Zalmi | 11 | 588 | 103 | 73.50 | 145.90 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 60 | 15 |
| Kusal Mendis | Peshawar Zalmi | 11 | 550 | 109 | 55.00 | 168.19 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 23 |
| Fakhar Zaman | Lahore Qalandars | 8 | 401 | 103 | 57.28 | 151.89 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 48 | 12 |
| Usman Khan | Hyderabad Kingsmen | 13 | 389 | 101 | 35.36 | 162.76 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 36 | 22 |
| Sahibzada Farhan | Multan Sultans | 10 | 380 | 106* | 42.22 | 166.66 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 23 |
| Steve Smith | Multan Sultans | 11 | 380 | 106 | 34.54 | 161.70 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 39 | 18 |
| Shan Masood | Multan Sultans | 11 | 367 | 69* | 45.87 | 158.18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 15 |
| Sameer Minhas | Islamabad United | 11 | 349 | 82* | 38.77 | 155.80 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 13 |
| Marnus Labuschagne | Hyderabad Kingsmen | 13 | 344 | 61* | 28.66 | 130.30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 4 |
| Rilee Rossouw | Quetta Gladiators | 9 | 317 | 90 | 39.62 | 142.79 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 31 | 14 |