Pakistan’s top-notch batsman and current skipper Babar Azam is celebrating his birthday today (Friday) as the God-gifted cricketer turns 27.
The promising cricketer who has earned a lot of respect for himself and for his country made his international debut on May 31, 2015, in an ODI against Zimbabwe at Lahore. In his first international game, he smoked 54 runs.
This was the time when International cricket was returning on Pakistani soil after six years of hiatus and this was the period when the Pakistan team was struggling for victory after the 2015 World Cup setback followed by defeats against Bangladesh.
So, this was an important time for Pakistan cricket to discover a young talent of Babar Azam with great consistency. In a shorter span, Babar won the trust of the management, the fans. Now, whenever he arrives on the cricketing pitch, he remains the centre of focus.
There is no format of the game, where Babar did not make a statement. He averages 56.92 in 83 ODI games that he has played, with 14 centuries and 17 half-centuries.
In 2016, Babar Azam scored three tons in a row against the West Indies, which was a gigantic achievement.
He made his Test debut on October 13, 2016, against West Indies at Dubai. His Test statistics are also been great as he maintains an impressive average of 55.14 in 35 games.
He made his T20 debut on September 16, 2016, against England at Manchester. His T20I stats are also been marvellous as he holds an impressive average of 46.89 with a solid strike rate of 130.64 in 61 games.
Babar through his magical bat dominated the cricketing world in no time. His consistency forced the cricketers from the globe to admire the class of this young promising talent.
Indian off-spin great, Ravichandran Ashwin last year defined the class of Azam through his tweet. Ashwin stated, “There’s a top-quality player who has become part of the Pakistan side after a long time and his name is Babar Azam. He looks like a million-dollar player. One really feels good when one sees Babar- he is a treat for your eyes.”
Moreover, cricket commentator and England ex-captain Nasir Hussain praised Babar Azam on a number of occasions. He once said that Babar Azam has all the ingredients to become a great of the game.
Australian legendary former batsman Ricky Pointing also expressed his view on Babar Azam’s class act. He once said that “I thought Babar was extremely impressive. Looks to have a lot of class and could well become one of the best batsmen in the world.”
Indian experienced commentator Harsha Bhogle once said in his tweet, “What a player this Babar Azam is. Still coming of age and already by some distance, Pakistan’s best batsman.”
Babar Azam who is regarded as one of the finest players in contemporary cricket is the first cousin of the Akmal brothers (Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Adnan Akmal). His brother Faisal Azam is running a YouTube channel titled “Faisal Azam Vibes”.
Talking about the upcoming World T20 cup, the people of the country is eying on Babar and the entire playing XI to deliver well in the mega-event. The team roster is looking good and balanced after many changes and blended with the mixture of youth and experience. The squad, now have access to both veterans Muhammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik.
Speaking on the Indo-Pak battle, Babar said that, “If you ask me, we’ll win”. This shows that the morale of men in green is up for the mega-event and fans would surely back their team as always.