[Watch] “Strike rate’s good too” - Simon Doull’s cheeky response to Babar Azam’s 100 in PSL 2024

Cricketer-turned-commentator Simon Doull gave a cheeky response to Babar Azam during the post-match presentation after the Peshawar Zalmi captain's hundred guided them to a win in their PSL 9 fixture against Islamabad United. The former Kiwi pacer sarcastically complimented the right-handed batter on his strike rate.

The star batter has often come under criticism for playing with low strike rate in T20 cricket and failing to up the ante despite being set. However, the 29-year-old was at his best on Monday's game as he slammed an unbeaten 111 off 63 deliveries, striking at 176.19 to propel Zalmi to 201 in 20 overs.

Below is the video of Doull's interaction with Zalmi captain at the post-match presentation:

The match against the Karachi Kings saw the former Pakistan skipper become the fastest to cross 10000 runs in T20 cricket. He achieved it in 271 innings, beating Chris Gayle, who did it in 285. With his 63-ball knock, the Lahore-born batter has also become the leading run-getter of the season, hammering 330 runs in five matches at an average of 82.50.

Babar Azam also took catches as Peshawar Zalmi won by eight runs

Babar Azam. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Islamabad United left no stone unturned in chasing down the 202-run target as Colin Munro smashed 71 off 53 deliveries at the top of the order. However, Islamabad lacked big contributions from skipper Shadab Khan and Agha Salman, as they managed only 20 runs between them.

Nevertheless, Azam Khan (75 off 30) kept their hopes alive as he shared a 108-run partnership with Munro. The turning point of the match was the dismissals of Azam Khan and Colin Munro in successive deliveries as they collapsed from 181-3 to 193-9 in 11 balls.

Babar took two important catches of Azam and Imad Wasim as Islamabad suffered their third loss of the tournament. Zalmi, meanwhile, have won three matches out of five and will face Lahore Qalandars on March 2.