Babar Azam on a roll vs Islamabad United in PSL eliminator 2 (X.com)
As Peshawar Zalmi was put to bat first by Islamabad United in the PSL eliminator 2 round, captain Babar Azam stormed after Agha Salman to club a maximum off an uncharacteristic slog sweep in the powerplay.
As PSL 2024 season races towards its final destination, Peshawar Zalmi were up against Islamabad United in the eliminator 2 round of the knockout stage. While the winner of the contest will meet Multan Sultans in the finale, the loser would bow out effectively immediately.
That being said, Shadab Khan won the toss and invited Peshawar Zalmi openers Babar Azam and Saim Ayub to bat first. An in-form Ayub punched Naseem Shah early to get the momentum going. He later slammed 14 runs off Obed McCoy in an absolutely dominant display of power hitting.
While Saim Ayub made the most of the field restrictions advantage, captain Babar Azam decided to join the party and went after part-timer Agha Salman.
Salman bowled a tossed up delivery on the middle and leg stump to Babar in the fourth over of the first innings and the Zalmi skipper went down to roll a slog sweep off the mid-wicket boundary to claim a maximum.
The slog sweep execution took the crowd by surprise as Babar Azam is not a natural sweeper. It's only recently that he included that shot in his batting arsenal, and this time, the timing and effortless power helped Babar clear the ropes to add six valuable runs to his team's tally.
Both Babar Azam and Saim Ayub are in sublime form for this PSL season, and the duo's opening stand is crucial to ensure Zalmi finishes with a par score.