Personal Information
Born : Oct 15, 1994 (27 years)
Birth Place : Lahore, Punjab
Height :
--
Role : Batsman
Batting Style : Right Handed Bat
Bowling Style : Right-arm offbreak
Profile
When Babar Azam notched up his 5th ODI ton
against West Indies in his 25th innings in early 2017, he became the second
quickest after Quinton De Kock to score five ODI tons. His aggregate of 1306
runs after 25 knocks tallied the highest, beating Jonathan Trott's numbers.
Life indeed has been on fast tracks for Babar Azam. His three consecutive ODI
tons against the Windies in 2016 in the UAE were a precursor to one glorious
career that stares at us.
Pakistan's search for a dependable number 3 in the shorter formats has been an
eternal one. Their batting stocks at the international level, especially in the
shorter formats have looked as bare as Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard. The
arrival of Babar onto the big scene however can't exactly be termed as serendipity.
Ever since he was drafted into the Pakistan under-19 team for the 2010 World
Cup as a fifteen year old, it seemed as if another raw talent has been
unleashed. However, some polishing resulted in another under-19 World Cup
campaign in 2012. This time he was the skipper. Pakistan were knocked out by
eventual winners India but Babar had piled the runs to be the top run getter
for his team.
The journey post that was through the domestic system and come his chance in
2016, Babar grabbed it with hands as big as tentacles against the Windies in
the UAE. A Test debut against the caribbean team also went well and the
fairytale had a continuity. But flaws were ripped open on the bouncy tracks of
Australia in late 2016 and early 2017 in the whites. But given the fact that he
wants to emaluate Virat Kohli' feats and idolizes ABD, Babar would carve a way
out.
Babar Azam is the cousin of Akmal (Kamran, Umar and Adnan) brothers and is
often denoted as a talented opening batsman. He was the leading run-scorer in
the tri-series that included Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Under - 19 in 2009. His
consistency at Under - 19 level pushed the selectors to offer him a chance to
play for his national side.
He was named in the Pakistan squad for Zimbabwe series at home where he got a
great chance to make a debut on his home soil. He scored a fluent fifty in his
debut and has shown glimpses of great stroke making ability. Babar then
retained his spot for the Sri Lanka tour in July where he could play only 2
ODIs of the five-match series (as of August 2015).
