Former cricketer Basit Ali has said that although Babar Azam proved himself with a brilliant hundred in the Pakistan Super League, that innings in no way can suggest that Babar would perform similarly in international cricket, adding that the bowling he faced wasn’t world-class.
While the knock drew widespread praise from Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal, both were quick to caution against reading too much into it when assessing Babar’s international form.
Basit Ali was impressed with the quality of Babar’s innings, calling it one of the finest seen in the PSL. A key factor behind his success, as per the experts, was his stand with Kusal Mendis, who scored 83 off 44 in the game.
“When Mendis scored his hundred, Babar gave him big support. This time Babar scored the
hundred and Mendis gave him big support. This combination is suiting Peshawar Zalmi very well,” Akmal said.
“In the last two or three years, there was no batter alongside him. Mendis has made a big difference,” Basit Ali added.
Despite the praise, both analysts maintained that this innings does little to answer lingering questions around Babar’s s performances at the international level.
“There is a world of difference between international cricket and PSL. If Babar shows even fifty percent of this standard in international cricket, we will praise him,” Basit Ali said.
“You cannot mix PSL with that. This is not top bowling. These aren’t top teams,” Basit Ali added.
Pakistan Super League 2026 has been a prolific season for Babar, who has delivered crucial runs for Peshawar Zalmi across a variety of conditions, a welcome turnaround for a cricketer who had been struggling under the weight of expectations and intense scrutiny.
Earlier in the season, Pakistan’s batting coach Hanif Malik told ESPNCricinfo that ‘there has been so much criticism that it has had an impact on him’.
