Regarded as one one of the finest batsmen of contemporary cricket, Mohammad Babar Azam, better known as Babar Azam is the blue eyed-boy of every Pakistani cricket fan around the world.
A right-handed batter, Azam is the captain of Pakistan team across all formats and has earned a respectable name for himself in a very short span of time thanks to his consistent performances, particularly in the white ball format.
He represents Karachi Kings in Pakistan Super League and leads Central Punjab in domestic cricket. The classy batter has been constantly making headlines specially since last three years owing to several of his match defining performances with consistently averaging over fifty in both ODIs and T20Is.
As Azam celebrates his 27th birthday on Friday (15th October), lets have a look at some of the interesting facts about the elegant willow weilder.
Related to Akmal brothers:
Azam was born on 15 October 1994 in Lahore. He started playing the game at a very early age, since cricket ran in his veins. Not many of you might know, but the Pakistani skipper is related to brothers- Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal. He is the cousin of the famous cricketing siblings to whom he also credits for helping a lot in his game.
Led Pakistan U-19 Team in 2012 WC:
Azam was named as the skipper of the Pakistan team in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2012. The classy right hander led his side from the front and was his team's highest run-scorer. He amassed 287 runs at a brilliant average of 57.40 in six games. Azam also finished as the second most run-getter of the tournament. Under his leadership, Pakistan reached the quarter-finals of the events where they were defeated by India by one wicket.
Fine International debut:
Azam announced his arrival at international in style with an impressive half century in the third ODI against Zimbabwe at Lahore in 2015. Batting at number four, Azam hit 54 off 60 balls, which laced with four sixes.
Hattrick of centuries:
During Pakistan's 3- match ODI series against West Indies in 2016 at UAE, Azam penned an incredible record of becoming the first batter to hit three back to back centuries in consecutive innings. He played the knocks of 120, 123 and 117.
Second player to make a Test debut in day-night match:
Azam made his debut in the longest format of the game against West Indies in 2016. It was a day night match which made him the second player to make a test debut in a pink ball test after Mitchell Santner. Azam left his mark instantly with an impressive first innings fifty scoring 69 runs. With this he also became the first player to score a half century on both test and ODI debut.
Ardent Fan of AB de Villiers:
Azam is a die hard fan of former South Africa Captain AB de Villiers. He once admitted himself that he idolizes the Protea great and wants to be like him.
