Pakistani skipper Baba Azam once again showcased his exemplary form and helped Karachi Kings lifting their maiden PSL title defeating Lahore Qalandars by five wickets.
The victory was also dedicated to their late coach Dean Jones, and the entire team made sure that the trophy did not go anywhere else.
The pitches that have held the playoffs have been good but the one which hosted the final was certainly not the best one to bat on.
An experienced batsman like Tamim Iqbal had a tough time batting as the surface was uneven with certain deliveries staying low with quite a few bouncing more than anticipated.
However, when it was Babar Azam's turn to bat, he ensured that he was going nowhere before getting the job done.
Azam started off his innings with two phenomenal boundaries off Shaheen Afridi in his very first over and despite Sharjeel Khan's early dismissal, Babar kept going.
The target was only 135 and thus Babar did not have to risk himself too much. However, with Sharjeel and Alex Hales both going cheaply, he knew he had to be the one to take the team through.
Once Chadwick Walton came to the crease, both the batsmen started rotating the strike well. It was Haris Rauf's over then that acted as the catalyst as the Karachi batsmen cashed in and brought the required run-rate below six.
He then took on Shaheen again for consecutive boundaries and almost decided the fate of the game by himself.
However, the leading run-getter of the tournament then witnessed three more batsmen make way to the pavilion but the damage being already done, Karachi scored the winning runs in the penultimate over and claimed the trophy.
The Pakistani skipper not only had a great tournament but his batting against Zimbabwe was exquisite too. He scored 77*, 125, 82, 51 in the 2nd and 3rd ODI and 1st and 2nd T20 respectively and continued his form even in the PSL playoffs with 65 against Multan Sultans and 63* against Lahore Qalandars, which earned him the MoM in both the matches.
He can be easily hailed as the Master of T20 for Pakistan as his footwork is simply the best among the squad and so is his commitment to not throw his wicket.
His intent is key too and his aggressive strokes on the pitch contribute in a hefty way in most of the games he plays.
The future seems promising for the 26-year-old and he will surely get bigger if he keeps up his mentality and performances in the same way.
Featured image credits- SkySports
