[Watch] Babar Azam smashes first century of Lanka Premier League 2023 as Colombo Strikers beat Galle Titans by seven wickets

Colombo Strikers batter Babar Azam starred with the bat as his team Colombo Strikers beat Galle Titans by seven wickets in Pallekalle in the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL) on Monday, August 7. The 28-year-old smashed his 10th T20 ton as Strikers chased down 189 with one ball to spare. It was the first ton of LPL 2023.

The right-handed batter smashed 104 runs off just 59 balls at a strike rate of 176.27, including five sixes and eight boundaries. He also shared an 11-run partnership with Pathum Nissanka for the opening wicket.

LPL’s official Twitter handle shared a clip of Azam following his heroics with the bat. They tweeted:

“Just when it all appeared to be a Titan win, Babar Azam came to the crease! The rest is history.”

With Azam’s exploits with the bat, Strikers jumped to third in the LPL 2023 points table. The batter, meanwhile, became the tournament's highest run-getter with 211 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 147.55. He previously smashed 59 off 52 against B-Love Kandy, which Strikers won by 27 runs.

Click here to check Colombo Strikers vs Galle Titans' full scorecard.

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Babar Azam using LPL 2023 to prepare for Asia Cup and ODI World Cup

Babar Azam recently stated that he wants to utilize Lanka Premier League to prepare for the upcoming Asia Cup and 2023 ODI World Cup. In a media release, he said:

"Whenever you play different leagues, in different conditions you end up learning a lot. I try my level best to perform well. I adapt to different conditions while facing different bowlers from Asia because we have a lot of cricket coming up in Asia."

He continued:

“We have Asia Cup, the Afghanistan series and the World Cup as well. I will try to focus, adapt to the conditions, and face good spinners to prepare for these upcoming big tournaments.”

Azam will next be in action against Jaffna Kings at the same venue on Tuesday, August 8.

Following LPL 2023, Babar Azam will lead Pakistan in three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka, which starts on August 22.

The Men in Green will then play Asia Cup in Pakistan and Sri Lanka before ODI World Cup in India (October 5 to November 19).