Peshawar Zalmi skipper Babar Azam had an injury scare during the PSL 2026 clash against Lahore Qalandars. Azam was hit by Ubaid Shah’s bouncer that struck the Pakistani cricketer on his helmet. Notably, the Zalmi were up against the Qalandars in the 19th game of the T20 tournament at National Stadium Karachi. The game saw Lahore skipper Shaheen Afridi win the toss and invite the rivals to bat first.
The Zalmi, who are unbeaten in the tournament thus far had Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam step into the field to open innings. While things were going smooth, during the sixth over, bowled by Ubaid Shah, Peshawar skipper narrowly escaped an injury scare. On the first ball of the over, Shah delivered a short ball at 125.7 kmph. Babar Azam tried to step out to attempt an aggressive pull shot.
While Azam missed the ball completely, it struck his shoulder and ended up hitting his neck and the lower grill of the helmet. Visibly in pain, Azam sat down while the Qalandar players helped him remove his helmet. By that time, the Peshawar physiotherapist rushed onto the field and Azam went for a concussion test and resumed batting.
Babar Azam and Kusal Mendis build 109-run stand for Peshawar Zalmi
Once again, the pair of Azam and Kusal Mendis built a crucial stand of 109 runs for the second wicket. While Mohammad Haris was forced to walk back to the pavilion early following a short knock of 18 runs off 10 deliveries, Azam and Mendis took control of the innings and came up with critical knocks. The former Pakistan skipper came up with 43 runs while Mendis hit 74 runs off 48 deliveries with a combination of five boundaries and four sixes. Their knocks guided Zalmi to a 173-run total at the loss of seven wickets.
This is the second straight game when both Azam and Mendis joined hands and guided the side to a significant total. Earlier during the clash against the Karachi Kings, they stitched a 191-run partnership (Azam 87* off 51 and Mendis 109 off 52) to post a monumental total of 246 runs with the loss of three wickets. The game saw Peshawar record a record 159-run win over the Karachi Kings.
