Babar Azam created history on Thursday by becoming the quickest player to reach 12,000 runs in T20 cricket. The landmark was achieved during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 fixture between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings.
The batter was in fine touch, remaining unbeaten on 87 for Zalmi. He also stitched a massive 191-run partnership with Kusal Mendis, powering his team to an imposing total of 246/3 in 20 overs.
This feat saw Babar complete 12,000 T20 runs in 338 innings (351 matches), overtaking Chris Gayle, who had reached the milestone in 343 innings. Virat Kohli sits third on the list with 360 innings, followed by David Warner (368) and Jos Buttler (405).
With this achievement, Babar also became only the second Pakistan batter to cross the 12,000-run mark in T20 cricket, alongside Shoaib Malik, who remains the country’s leading run-getter in the format.
His 87-run knock came a day after his fiery exchange with a Pakistani journalist who questioned the batter’s finishing ability with the bat. “Virat Kohli has a similar shot range to yours, but he regularly finishes games—something critics feel you don’t do as consistently. Given that you’re often compared with him, how do you respond to that comparison?” the journalist asked.
Babar took exception to the question and interrupted the reporter mid-way, saying he had featured in plenty of games and did not find the question justified.
“Let’s wrap this up. Please keep such opinions to yourself and stop making these comparisons. It’s your misunderstanding that I don’t finish games,” Babar responded firmly.
