KARACHI: For Babar Azam, the roar that echoed around the National Bank Stadium on Tuesday night was more than just an ovation for a match-winning century. It was a release — of pressure, of scrutiny, and perhaps most of all, of a phase that had tested both his game and his resolve.

Standing at the centre of Peshawar Zalmi’s emphatic 70-run victory over Islamabad United in the HBL Pakistan Super League Qualifier, Babar cut a composed figure in the post-match press conference. But beneath the calm exterior was a quiet acknowledgement of the significance of the moment.

“I can definitely say it is quite different in the sense that it was a semi-final of sorts for us,” he said. “That’s why it’s very special for me.

“Performing in such a big match, the team needed me to stay out there as long as possible, and I think that’s exactly what was required.”

It was an innings that seemed to encapsulate both his past struggles and his renewed clarity. The century — his fourth in PSL history — not only propelled Zalmi into their first final in five years but also took him to the summit of the batting charts this season. With 588 runs, he now equals Fakhar Zaman’s record for the most runs in a single PSL campaign, with one match still to play.

Yet, the numbers tell only part of the story.

For nearly two years leading into this tournament, Babar had end­ured what, by his own lofty standards, could only be described as a lean patch. Questions were raised, criticisms grew louder — particularly around his strike rate — and the burden of expectation weighed heavier with each passing innings.

Rather than deflecting that scrutiny, Babar chose introspection.

“Time teaches you everything,” he reflected. “With time and experience, you keep learning. These things are part of life. I’ve learned a lot from this phase and it has also helped me a lot. When you fall and come back stronger, it feels really good.”

Central to that resurgence has been a return, not to reinvention, but to familiarity. In a cricketing landscape increasingly obsessed with power-hitting, Babar admitted that he had briefly strayed from his natural method in an attempt to evolve his game.

Now, he has recalibrated.

“There is no big difference,” he explained. “The only thing is that I have become more disciplined and more focused.

“Sometimes in a short period you feel that what you are doing is right, but actually it isn’t. So sometimes you have to accept that you need to go back to normal. back to the basics.”

That decision, he suggested, was less about external advice and more about self-realisation.

“No one else makes you realise it. You realise it yourself,” he said. “You analyse yourself. You watch your videos or your old innings. That’s how I prepare myself. I take motivation from that. But my belief is that your routines matter the most.”

It is a philosophy that has seemingly anchored him through turbulent times. While motivation, in his words, is fleeting, routine has offe­red structure, a daily commitment to refinement that has gradually rest­ored both rhythm and confidence.

“There were quite a few discussions,” Babar added. “I also realised things myself. I looked at my batting, analysed what I was doing and what was going wrong, and worked on fixing it. The coaches helped a lot, and I also worked hard myself. These things go together.”

The result has been a version of Babar that feels both familiar and evolved — a batter who still leans on timing and placement, but with a sharper awareness of tempo and situation. His strike rate this season, hovering above 146, reflects that subtle shift.

“As for hitting, my hitting was like this before as well,” he noted. “The difference is that now the execution is better. I’m trying to understand what I can achieve or target in the given scenario. I’m practising hard hitting a bit more.”

If there was any lingering doubt about his ability to adapt, Tuesday’s innings dispelled it emphatically. It was not reckless aggression, but calculated dominance — a measured assault built on clarity of purpose.

Even so, Babar remained reluctant to delve into the external noise that had surrounded him during his difficult period.

“During that phase, a lot of things were going on, but I don’t want to discuss that here,” he said. “Everyone has their own thoughts and their own mind.

“As for my mind, I try to keep it as cool as possible, focus on cricket, and try to win matches.”

That final remark carried a subtle edge — a nod, perhaps, to one of the more persistent critiques of his career: that his runs, however prolific, did not always translate into victories.

On Tuesday night, they did.

And in doing so, they not only carried Zalmi into the final but also reaffirmed Babar’s stature as one of the game’s premier batters, not just for his ability to score, but for his capacity to endure, adapt and return.

As the tournament heads towards its climax, Babar stands on the brink of both a team triumph and a personal milestone. Yet, if his words are any indication, his focus remains unchanged.

For him, it is not about the noise, the records, or even the redemption narrative that now writes itself so neatly.

It is, simply, about routine.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2026