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After facing comparisons with Virat Kohli over his inability to finish a recent chase against Hyderabad Kingsmen, Pakistan captain Babar Azam responded in style, by rewriting the record books.On Thursday in Karachi, while representing Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Babar became the fastest player to reach 12,000 runs in T20 cricket. He achieved the milestone in just 338 innings (351 matches), surpassing the previous record held by Chris Gayle, who had taken 343 innings. Kohli sits third on the list, having reached the mark in 360 innings.
Top 5 Fastest to 12,000 T20 Runs (By Innings):
| 1 | Babar Azam | 338 Innings |
| 2 | Chris Gayle | 343 Innings |
| 3 | Virat Kohli | 360 Innings |
| 4 | David Warner | 368 Innings |
| 5 | Jos Buttler | 405 Innings |
Babar needed just 13 runs during the PSL clash between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings to enter the 12,000-run club in T20 cricket, and he reached the milestone in the fourth over of Zalmi’s innings. With this achievement, Babar became only the second Pakistani batter to cross the 12,000-run mark in T20S. The record for the most T20 runs by a Pakistani player is still held by veteran batter Shoaib Malik. Babar opened the innings for Peshawar Zalmi and remained unbeaten on 87 off 51 deliveries. He struck 10 fours and two sixes during his fluent knock and stitched a commanding 191-run partnership for the second wicket with Kusal Mendis, guiding Zalmi to an imposing total of 246/3 in their allotted 20 overs. Chasing a massive total of 247, Karachi Kings were bundled out for just 87, courtesy of some brilliant bowling from Iftikhar Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Sufiyan Muqeem, with each bowler scalping three wickets each. In reply, Karachi Kings crumbled under pressure and were bowled out for just 87, as Iftikhar Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, and Sufiyan Muqeem picked up three wickets each to seal a dominant victory for Zalmi.
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Earlier, Babar had expressed frustration over constant comparisons with Kohli during the post match press conference of Peshawar Zalami and Hyderbad Kingsmen.“Finish these things. Keep these things to yourself. End the comparison and move on. It’s your misconception that I have not finished matches,” he had said.Babar responded in the next match with a record-breaking performance, silencing his critics.
