Babar Azam facts for kids
Azam in 2023
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| Full name |
Mohammad Babar Azam
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| Born | 15 October 1994 Walled City, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations |
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| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 222) | 13 October 2016 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 6 January 2025 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 203) | 31 May 2015 v Zimbabwe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 22 December 2024 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 70) | 7 September 2016 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 13 December 2024 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010/11–2013/14 | Zarai Taraqiati Bank | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012/13–2014/15 | Islamabad Leopards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014/15 | State Bank of Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015/16–2017/18 | Sui Southern Gas Corporation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Islamabad United (squad no. 31) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2022 | Karachi Kings (squad no. 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Guyana Amazon Warriors (squad no. 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Sylhet Sixers (squad no. 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Somerset (squad no. 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019/20–2023 | Central Punjab (squad no. 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Peshawar Zalmi (squad no. 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Rangpur Riders (squad no. 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 22 December 2024
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Mohammad Babar Azam (born 15 October 1994) is a famous Pakistani international cricketer. He used to be the captain of the Pakistan national cricket team in all three types of cricket games. He is a right-handed top-order batter. Currently, he leads the Peshawar Zalmi team in the Pakistan Super League.
Babar Azam is known as Pakistan's best T20I batter. He once scored an amazing 122 runs against South Africa, which is the highest score by any Pakistani in a T20I match. He is also the only captain to lead Pakistan to the number one spot in the ODI team rankings. Babar was part of the Pakistan team that won the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.
In November 2023, Babar stepped down as captain after the 2023 Cricket World Cup. However, in March 2024, he was again chosen to lead Pakistan in white-ball cricket (limited overs games). In June 2024, he became the highest run-scorer ever in T20 international matches. On 1 October 2024, he resigned from white-ball captaincy again to focus on his batting.
Contents
Early Life and Cricket Journey
Babar Azam was born on 15 October 1994 in Lahore, Pakistan. His older cousins, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal, who were also cricketers, inspired him to play the sport. He started his journey as a ball boy at Gaddafi Stadium before joining a cricket academy.
His first coach, Rana Sadiq, taught him the basics of batting. Babar then joined the Pakistan Under-19 team, showing early promise in his cricket career.
Babar Azam's International Career
Starting His International Journey
Babar Azam joined the Pakistani team in May 2015 for a series against Zimbabwe. He made his first One Day International (ODI) appearance on 31 May, scoring a great 54 runs. This strong start helped him get selected for future series.
He continued to play well, scoring runs consistently in various ODI series against teams like England and New Zealand. In September 2016, he made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut against England.
Rising Star and Record Breaker
In 2016, Babar Azam really shined during a series against the West Indies. He scored three centuries (100 runs or more) in a row! This was a new record for the most runs (360) in a three-match ODI series.
He made his first Test match appearance in October 2016, also against the West Indies. He scored 69 runs in his first innings, becoming the first player to score a fifty on Test debut in a day/night Test match.
In January 2017, Babar became one of the fastest players to reach 1,000 runs in ODIs. He also scored a century against Australia, which was a rare feat for a Pakistani batsman there. His excellent performance helped him enter the top 10 ODI batsmen rankings.
He continued to impress, scoring an unbeaten 125 runs against the West Indies in 2017. He was also the top run-scorer in the Independence Cup T20I series against the World XI team.
Babar was named Pakistan's ODI Player of the Year in 2017 and was included in the ICC World ODI XI.
Leading the Team and More Records
In 2019, Babar was chosen for Pakistan's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He became the fastest Pakistani batsman to score 3,000 runs in ODIs (in 68 innings). In the same tournament, he scored his 10th ODI century against New Zealand. He also broke Javed Miandad's record for the most runs by a Pakistani batsman in a single World Cup, scoring 474 runs.
Later in 2019, he was made the vice-captain of Pakistan's ODI and T20I teams. In October 2019, he became the captain of the Pakistan T20I team. He scored his first Test century against Australia in November 2018.
When Test cricket returned to Pakistan in December 2019 after a long time, Babar scored another century on home soil. He was again named in the ICC World ODI XI in January 2020.
In May 2020, he was also appointed as the ODI captain. In November 2020, he became the captain of Pakistan's Test team as well, leading the team in all three formats.
Becoming the World's Best ODI Batter
In April 2021, Babar Azam became the fastest player to score 13 ODI centuries, reaching this milestone in just 76 innings. He then became the No. 1 ODI batsman in the world, taking over from Virat Kohli.
On 14 April 2021, Babar scored his first T20I century (122 runs) against South Africa. He and Mohammad Rizwan set a huge partnership of 197 runs, which is a record for Pakistan in T20Is. In September 2021, he led Pakistan in the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, where he was the top run-scorer with 303 runs.
In March 2022, when Australia toured Pakistan after 24 years, Babar scored an amazing 196 runs in a Test match. This was the highest score by a captain in the fourth innings of a Test. He also became the second fastest overall and fastest Asian to score 4,000 ODI runs. He led Pakistan to their first ODI series win against Australia since 2002.
In April 2023, Babar played his 100th T20I match. He also scored his third T20I century, becoming the first captain to achieve this feat. In May 2023, he became the fastest batter in ODI history to score 5,000 runs, reaching it in just 97 innings. Under his captaincy, Pakistan became the No. 1 ODI team after 33 years.
In November 2023, he stepped down from captaincy but was reappointed as white-ball captain in March 2024. On 13 October 2024, Babar Azam became the fastest Asian batter to reach 11,000 runs in international cricket.
Playing in Different Leagues
Domestic Cricket in Pakistan
Babar started his domestic cricket career playing for teams like Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited cricket team and Islamabad Leopards. He later played for State Bank of Pakistan cricket team and Sui Southern Gas Company cricket team in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
In 2019, Babar became the captain of the Central Punjab cricket team. He led his team to win the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He also became the first Pakistani to score three centuries and more than 1,500 runs in T20 cricket in a single year. In October 2021, he became the fastest batsman to score 7,000 runs in T20 cricket.
Pakistan Super League (PSL)
| Babar Azam's record in PSL matches | ||||||
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| Matches | Runs | HS | 100s | 50s | Avg. | SR. |
| 79 | 2935 | 115 | 1 | 28 | 43.80 | 124.84 |
Babar first played in the Pakistan Super League for Islamabad United in 2016. He then moved to Karachi Kings in 2017 and became a key player, often being among the top run-scorers. In 2020, he led the Karachi Kings to win the PSL final and was named the Player of the Tournament.
In the 2021 season, he scored 554 runs, breaking his own record for most runs in a single PSL season. Before the 2023 PSL, Babar moved to Peshawar Zalmi and became their captain. In the 2024 PSL, he scored 569 runs.
Other Cricket Leagues
Babar has also played in other cricket leagues around the world. In 2017, he played for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League and Sylhet Sixers in the Bangladesh Premier League.
In 2019, he joined Somerset for the 2019 t20 Blast in England. He was the highest run-scorer in the competition with 578 runs. He returned to Somerset in 2020 and continued to perform well, even scoring his career-best 114 not out in a T20 game.
Amazing Records and Achievements
| Opponent | Test | ODI | T20I |
|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
2 | 3 | – |
 Bangladesh |
1 | – | – |
 England |
1 | 2 | 1 |
 India |
– | – | – |
 Nepal |
– | 1 | – |
 New Zealand |
2 | 2 | 1 |
 South Africa |
– | 1 | 1 |
 Sri Lanka |
3 | 3 | – |
 West Indies |
– | 5 | – |
 Zimbabwe |
– | 2 | – |
| Total | 9 | 19 | 3 |
Babar Azam holds many incredible records in cricket:
- He is one of the fastest Pakistani batsmen to reach 1000, 2000, and 3000 runs in ODI cricket.
- He is the fastest player ever to score 5000 runs in ODI cricket.
- Babar is the only cricketer to score 5 centuries in a row in one country (United Arab Emirates).
- He is the fastest batsman to reach 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 ODI centuries.
- He has the second-most ODI centuries for Pakistan, with 19.
- He is known as "King Babar" because of his amazing batting.
- He is the fastest captain to reach 1000 ODI runs.
- He scored the most runs (303) in the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
- He is the fastest batsman to reach 1000, 2000, and 2500 runs in T20Is.
- Babar holds the record for the most runs by a Pakistani batsman in a single World Cup (474 runs in 2019).
- He has been Pakistan's top ODI scorer in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022.
- He has the highest Test score for a captain and for Pakistan in the fourth innings of a Test match.
- He is the first Pakistani captain to beat India in a World Cup match.
- Babar is the first Pakistani to win the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year award, and he has won it twice!
- He has the highest individual score for a Pakistani captain in ODIs (158 against England).
- He is one of only three Pakistani batsmen to score a century in all three formats of cricket.
- In the PSL, he is the all-time leading run-scorer.
- He is the first Pakistani captain and fifth overall to complete 1000 runs across all formats.
- In 2022, he broke Ricky Ponting's record for most scores of fifty or more in a calendar year (25 times).
- At 28 years old, he became the youngest cricketer to receive the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Pakistan's third-highest civilian award.
Awards and Recognitions
2017
- Named in the ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year
- PCB's ODI Cricketer of the Year
2018
- PCB's T20I Cricketer of the Year
2019
- Named in the ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year
2020
- 2020 Pakistan Super League Player of the Tournament
- ARY News Person of the Year
2021
- Named as ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year
- Named as captain of the ICC Men's T20I Team of the Year
- Named as captain of the ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year
- Named as captain of the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Team of the Tournament
- Winner of ICC Player of the Month for April
- PCB's ODI Cricketer of the Year
2022
- Named as ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy)
- Named as ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year
- Named as captain of the ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year
- Named in the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year
- Winner of ICC Player of the Month for March
2023
- Awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Pakistan's third-highest civilian award.
Images for kids
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Azam in 2018
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Babar in 2020
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National Stadium, Karachi, where Babar has scored centuries in all three formats of the game.
