Can’t play freely: Babar Azam reveals reason behind poor T20 strike rate

Babar Azam’s slow-paced batting remains a topic for discussion among cricket fans despite Peshawar Zalmi’s dominating form in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL). The star batter of Pakistan said that, for him, batting at a lightning-fast strike rate depends on multiple factors.

On Monday, April 13, Babar Azam-led Peshawar Zalmi defeated Multan Sultans to secure their place at the top of the PSL 2026 points table. With five wins and one no result in 6 matches, Zalmi sits on top of the points table with 11 points.

Babar Azam batter with a strike rate below 100 vs Multan Sultans

Against Multan Sulatans, while batters like Kusal Mendis and Mohammad Haris performed, maintaining a healthy strike rate, Babar was dismissed with a strike rate below 100.

After the match, during the press conference, the captain of Peshawar Zalmi was asked about his personal views on his own strike rate in the Twenty20 format. The 31-year-old replied that his priority as a batter is to understand the situation as players perform under different circumstances.

Babar Azam explained his views on strike rate

“You have to play differently at different numbers. At that time, what kind of guard to play, you also have to look at the scoreboard, and the strike rate also creates a lot of fuss. I believe that you first have to assess the conditions,” Babar Azar said after the PSL 2026 match.

“You have to assess that every day the wicket is not the same. Every day you cannot play the same way. You will face challenges; the opposition team also comes having done their homework, and you cannot hit your preferred shots freely. On one good day, things will click; otherwise, you have to work hard for it,” the skipper of Peshawar Zalmi mentioned further.

Zalmi outplayed Sultans

Last night, after winning the toss, Multan Sultans invited Peshawar Zalmi to bat first. Zalmi got a strong start with their openers, Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam. While Babar Azam was dismissed for only 15 off 20 with a strike rate of 90.00, powered by one 6, Haris continued harrying the bowlers to score 38 runs against 17 balls only. The Sri Lankan batter, Kusal Mendis, registered 68 runs from 40 balls, striking six 4s and three 6s. Farhan Yousaf’s 30 runs from 22 balls were also crucial for Zalmi to set a total of 196 runs in 20 overs.

The in-form batter of Multan Sultans, Sahibzada Farhan’s early dismissal was crucial for the match. Steve Smith, Josh Philippe, and Shan Masood added some significant runs to the Sultans' scorecard, which was not enough to surpass the target runs. As a result, Zalmi won the match by 24 runs. Sufiyan Muqeem was named the best player of the match for his impressive bowling spell. Maqeem claimed three wickets in his 4 overs spells for an economy rate of 7.50.

Peshawar Zalmi’s next PSL 2026 match is scheduled to be held on April 15, against the Quetta Gladiators at the National Stadium Karachi.

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