Pakistan's premier batter Babar Azam gave yet another glimpse of his new-found form in T20 cricket as the Peshawar Zalmi captain guided his team to the final of the Pakistan Super League in front of a packed ground in Karachi.
Fans were finally allowed to watch the PSL play-offs after a month of cricket behind closed doors due to the strict austerity measures in place in the country owing to fuel and resource shortages.
A packed National Stadium got its money's worth as Babar smashed his second century of the season to set up a 70-run win over Islamabad United on a sweltering Tuesday night.
Babar hit 103 from 59 balls as Peshawar scored 221-7 in the first qualifier. That total proved more than adequate as Islamabad were bundled out for 151.
For Zalmi, fast bowler Aaron Hardie (3-24) and spinner Sufiyan Muqeem (2-25) did the bulk of the damage.
The match, however, belonged to Babar, who delivered when it mattered and showed genuine intent.
The former national team captain reached his century in the 18th over as he smashed seamer Richard Gleeson for two fours and then a six.
As Babar launched Gleeson down the ground for a maximum to reach three figures, he leapt in the air and celebrated in front of a raucous crowd, sending a reminder that he is still the best batter in the country.
The right-hander has been in sizzling form this season, racing to 588 runs from 10 matches with the help of two centuries and three fifties. His strike rate, too, has been close to 150 - a vast improvement on his career tally.
Given his run of form, Babar should now consider himself a guaranteed starter in all major white-ball assignments for the foreseeable future.
It was not all smooth sailing on Tuesday, though.
The PSL organisers had thrown the tournament open to the public late on Monday night. Only the first qualifier was in Karachi with the remaining matches in Lahore.
That led to a rush for tickets as the PSL organsiers urged fans to purchase online tickets for the game.
Despite the last-minute arrangements, the match went ahead smoothly with a mostly full Karachi stadium witnessing a memorable innings from Babar.
Player-of-the-match Babar was pleased his hard work was paying off.
"I feel like I’m getting back to my best. The hard work I put in before the PSL is helping now. I’m trying to keep things simple and trust my skills," he said.
