PESHAWAR — Cricket fans at Imran Khan Stadium were treated to a nostalgic yet electrifying spectacle when Peshawar Zalmi faced Pakistan Legends XI in a friendly showdown. But the real showstopper? Babar Azam vs. Shoaib Akhtar.
Opening for Zalmi, Babar walked out to a packed house buzzing with excitement. Waqar Younis began with a tidy first over, but when Shoaib Akhtar charged in, the crowd roared louder — hoping to see flashes of the old Rawalpindi Express. Instead, they witnessed a new chapter: Babar calmly dismantling the veteran pacer.
Akhtar, still recovering from knee issues, couldn’t find his old fire. His pace dipped, his line wavered, and Babar pounced. One over went for a six and two crisp boundaries, sending fans into a frenzy as chants of “Babar! Babar!” echoed around the ground.
The duel — billed as King Babar vs. Speed King Shoaib — quickly tilted in favor of the modern master. “This is the new face of Pakistan batting,” one commentator quipped, as Akhtar’s nostalgic return turned into a highlight reel for Babar’s artistry.
Just when a half-century looked certain, Saeed Ajmal spun his magic. In his very first over, he bowled Babar with a beauty, denying the star a fifty but earning loud applause from fans who loved the old-school vs new-school clash.
The match wasn’t just about runs and wickets — it was a trip down memory lane. Seeing Waqar, Shoaib, and Ajmal back in action against today’s superstars gave fans both goosebumps and laughs. As one fan summed it up:
“Legends entertained us in the past, but tonight, they passed the torch — and Babar lit it up.”