Babar Azam, the former Pakistan captain, on Thursday became the fastest to the 12,000-run mark in T20 cricket. The 31-year-old achieved the feat during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 match between Peshawar Zalmi and the Karachi Kings. The right-handed batter was at his best during the game, scoring an unbeaten 87 for Peshawar and forming a 191-run stand with No.3 batter Kusal Mendis. The efforts of the duo helped the team post 246/3 in the 20 overs.
Babar went past the 12,000 run mark in T20s in 338 innings (351 matches), beating the previous record held by Chris Gayle, who had taken 343 innings to surpass the same milestone. Virat Kohli is third on the list, having reached the mark in 360 innings. David Warner and Jos Buttler had taken 368 and 405 innings, respectively, to achieve this.
Babar is now the second Pakistani batter to have more than 12,000 runs in T20S, with the first one being Shoaib Malik. The latter also holds the record for the most runs scored by a Pakistani player in the shortest format.
This 87-run knock from Babar 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 range of shots to you, but he finishes matches consistently, which is something people say you lack. Since many compare you to him, what are your views on that comparison?” the journalist asked.
However, Babar took offence to this question and stopped the reporter midway, saying he had played enough games and that the question was therefore not merited.
“Let’s end this here. Keep such thoughts to yourself. Stop the comparisons and move on. It’s your misconception that I haven’t finished matches,” Babar shot back.
Babar’s comparisons with Kohli
Babar’s comparisons with Kohli first surfaced when the former was scoring runs across formats in the 2021-22 season. The chatter coincided with Kohli’s dip in form, and this led Babar to share a message for the former India captain: “This too shall pass.”
In 2021, Babar also ended Kohli’s 1,258-day reign as the No.1 ODI batter in ICC rankings, and in 2023, he also became the fastest to 5,000 ODI runs in just 97 innings. There has been mutual admiration between the two, and Kohli was even seen patting Babar on the back during the 2025 Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan.
Speaking of Babar, he oversaw his side’s emphatic win against the Karachi Kings in the PSL on Thursday. With this victory, Peshawar moved to the second spot in the PSL 2026 standings.
