The legendary King of Pakistani Cricket, Babar Azam, celebrated his 32nd birthday today, October 15.
Babar Azam celebrated his birthday with his brothers and close friends, who also gifted him a cricket bat.
In a video post shared on social media, Babar Azam can be seen cutting the cake and celebrating his special day with his family.
Mohammad Babar Azam was born on October 15, 1994, in Lahore, Punjab.
His father, Mohammad Azam Siddiqui, owned a small watch-repair shop. Babar’s cousins, former Pakistan internationals Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal and Adnan Akmal, also helped introduce him to the sport.
As a youngster, Babar watched cricket at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, where he worked as a ball boy before pursuing the game more seriously.
He subsequently joined a cricket academy, where coach Rana Sadiq helped him develop his batting technique.
His progress took him into Pakistan’s age-group cricket system and the Under-19 team.
Babar represented Pakistan at two Under-19 World Cups, establishing himself as a promising young batter before making the transition to senior cricket.
He made his international debut in an ODI against Zimbabwe in May 2015. He made his Test debut against the West Indies in October 2016 and his T20 international debut against England in September of the same year.
His early performances showed a technically sound batter with excellent timing, a strong off-side game and the ability to build an innings.
Babar Azam has built an impressive record across all three international formats.
Babar has not been scoring as many runs as expected, and many people have criticised his slow scoring in T20 cricket and Pakistan’s poor results.
Now, the big question is whether he can improve his performance, help Pakistan win matches and win back the support of his fans.
According to published career statistics, Babar has scored more than 4,700 runs in Test cricket, over 6,600 in ODIs and more than 4,500 in T20 internationals.
His ODI record includes 20 centuries, while his Test record includes nine hundreds. Figures can change as he continues to play international cricket. His achievements include:
· ICC recognition: He was named ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2022. He also received the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award in August 2023.
· ODI success: He became one of the fastest batters to reach major run-scoring milestones and spent extended periods among the leading players in the format.
· The 2017 Champions Trophy: He was part of the Pakistan squad that won the ICC Champions Trophy in England, defeating India in the final.
· T20 World Cup final: As captain, he led Pakistan to the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, where England won by five wickets.
· Leadership: He captained Pakistan in all three formats at different points in his career, becoming one of the most prominent figures in the national team.
Babar Azam is facing criticism for his slow scoring in T20 cricket, his recent performances in Test matches and Pakistan’s poor results.
Questions have also been raised about his captaincy and the frequent changes in the team.
While some fans criticise his performances, others mock him on social media.
