Peshawar Zalmi’s friendly match against Pakistan Legends XI at Imran Khan Stadium in Peshawar featured a commanding batting display from Babar Azam, who opened the innings for Zalmi and provided a solid start.
Facing former international bowlers, including Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Younis, Babar stood out with his assured shot selection and timing. After Waqar delivered a tight first over, Babar capitalised on Akhtar’s reduced pace and inconsistent line in the following over.
Akhtar, once known as the “Rawalpindi Express”, struggled to contain the right-hander. Hampered by prior knee injuries, his deliveries lacked pace and accuracy, allowing Babar to dispatch him for a six followed by two boundaries in a single over.
The over yielded vital runs for Zalmi during the powerplay, where Babar scored freely and appeared in complete control. However, despite his confident start, he fell short of a half-century.
Former off-spinner Saeed Ajmal dismissed him in his first over, knocking over the stumps to end Babar’s innings just short of the milestone.
