'Rather than putting the team first...' - Simon Doull slams Babar Azam on-air for prioritizing century during PSL 8 clash against Quetta Gladiators

Babar Azam, Simon Doull (Image Credit: Twitter)

It was absolute carnage in Rawalpindi on March 8 night as boundaries and sixes rained down in a high-scoring thriller between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi. Gladiators pulled off an incredible victory by eight wickets as their opener, Jason Roy scored a blistering hundred while chasing down 241 in just 18.2 overs. Saim Ayub and Babar Azam provided a great start and the 2017 winners, Zalmi amassed 240/2.

The latter scored 115 runs off 65 balls but once again came under fire for his speed of scoring. The Zalmi skipper made a bright start to his innings but he slowed down considerably as he approached the triple-digit score. Babar scored 83 runs off 46 balls and then took another 14 deliveries to reach his century. Many may not have noticed the sudden drop in the captain's strike rate as the runs flowed in, but former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull, who was on-air during the game, got aware of it and lashed out at the star batter for putting his personal milestones above the team's win.

“Rather than putting the team first... the last little while, that's all that been happening. Rather than looking for boundaries, still so much firepower to come. Hundreds are brilliant, stats are great, but it has to be team first,” Doull said during commentary.

Simon says what Simon seespic.twitter.com/i9wTHVRStY

— Zak (@Zakr1a) March 8, 2023

Records tumbled as Roy went beast-mode

Babar, alongside Ayub (74 off 34 deliveries), registered a 162-run partnership for the first wicket and then Rovman Powell scored a quick-fire 35 off 18 deliveries in the first innings. No one would have thought that Gladiators will chase this mammoth total. But history was scripted at the Pindi Club ground after Roy’s stunning performance (145 off 63 balls) led the 2019 winners to record the third-highest chase in T20 history.

Hafeez’s brisk 41 runs off 18 balls was also the highlight of the match, helping the Purple Brigade win the game. The Mohammad Nawaz-led team became the first team in PSL history to hit a total of 30 fours and 10 sixes, thanks to Roy's beast mode in one of the best T20 innings ever.