Current Final

Tag: Babar Azam

  • Babar, Rizwan face-off: Both ready to face each other in first PSL 7 match

    Babar, Rizwan face-off: Both ready to face each other in first PSL 7 match

    The stage is set for the seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) to begin on January 27 at the National Stadium in Karachi with defending champions Multan Sultans facing off 2020 champions Karachi Kings following a curtain-raiser opening ceremony.

    Babar Azam, who made the record for most T20I wins as captain in a calendar year with 20 in 2021, will lead Karachi Kings. Mohammad Rizwan, first-ever batter to score more than 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year, will lead Multan Sultans.

    Babar in a statement issued by PSL, said: “I am very excited to be leading Karachi Kings this season. This is the first instance that I will be captaining a side in the HBL PSL and I am looking forward to it.

    “The first match of the tournament always has a lot of eyeballs and Multan Sultans can prove to be a tough opposition. I am sure the fans will get to see a thrilling contest.

    “Peter Moores is a seasoned coach and I have had fruitful discussions with him. Karachi Kings will display good, competitive cricket this season.”

    While Rizwan said: “We have all the potential to defend our HBL PSL title and we will be taking the field tomorrow with that mind set. This season will present us new challenges and we will have to plan accordingly.

    “Babar Azam is a wonderful batter and captain, and his leadership will certainly have a good impact on Karachi Kings. I am hopeful that the HBL PSL 7 will kick off with a great contest between the two sides.”

  • Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen have a message for fans after receiving ICC awards

    Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen have a message for fans after receiving ICC awards

    Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam, wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi have a message for their fans after receiving ODI Cricketer of the Year, T20I Cricketer of the Year and ICC Player of the Year awards respectively. All three cricketers took to their social media to express their gratitude for achieving the feat.

    Read More – Babar Azam named ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year

    Taking to Twitter, Babar expressed his gratitude for being named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year 2021.

    “I am thankful to Almighty, my family, friends, and fans who always push me to do better with all their love and trust,” he said in a tweet.

    This is the third mention of Babar Azam in the ICC Awards 2021. He was earlier announced as the captain of the T20 and ODI teams of the year by the ICC.

    Similarly Rizwan, after being declared the T20I Cricketer of the Year, took to Twitter to thank the Almighty.

    “Alhumdulillah. Bus Allah se hota hai. Allah k ghair se nahi hota,” he wrote.

    He further added: “I am grateful to everyone for their support and love. In sha Allah, the journey has just started. This award is dedicated to Pakistan and the beautiful people of Pakistan.”

    The player aggregated a staggering 1,326 runs in only 29 matches at an average of 73.66 and a strike-rate of 134.89 last year.

    Read More – ‘Sirf Allah se hota hai’: Mohammad Rizwan after scoring 2,000 record T20 runs in a year

    According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Rizwan was “as solid as ever behind the stumps”, playing a key role in Pakistan’s run to the semi-final during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, where he ended up as the third-highest run-scorer.

    Pakistan’s “tall boy” Afridi, as noted by ICC, also joined Babar and Rizwan in expressing his joy and gratitude by posting a tweet.

    “Almighty has been very kind to me. I’m extremely grateful for all the love sent my way,” he wrote.

    Afridi took 78 wickets in 36 internationals at an average of 22.20 with the best bowling figures of 6/51.

    The 21-year-old speedster was on fire throughout 2021, knocking some of the best batters over across all three formats of the game.

    He especially had a year to remember in Tests and T20Is, reaching his peak during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in UAE where he impressed one and all with his sheer speed and skills. His exceptional spell against India in the ICC T20 World Cup was the cherry on the top for the Pakistan cricket fans. He sent Indian openers KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli to the pavillion in the clash with India. He conceded only 31 runs in his four overs.

  • Babar Azam named ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year

    Babar Azam named ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year

    Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam has been named the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for his achievements as a captain of Pakistan cricket team and his individual performances.

    Babar scored 405 runs in six matches at an average of 67.50 with two centuries. He played only six ODIs in 2021, but he made vital contributions in the two series that Pakistan played this year.

    He was the second-highest run-scorer with 228 runs and was the Player of the Match in both of Pakistan’s wins in the 2-1 series victory against South Africa. The architect of Pakistan’s chase of 274 in the first ODI, Babar made a century and laid the foundation with an 82-ball 94 in the final ODI where the visitors posted 320 batting first.

    He was the lone warrior for Pakistan when they were swept by England 3-0. He accumulated 177 runs in three games but found no support as none of the other batters managed to score more than 100 in the series.

    Azam’s best performance this year came in a losing cause in the final ODI against England.

    With the series already lost, Pakistan were playing for pride as well as crucial ICC Cricket World Cup Super League points in the third ODI at Birmingham. Put in to bat first, Pakistan posted 331, with Babar scoring close to half of the team’s runs.

    Read More – ICC receives criticism for not naming Babar Azam T20 World Cup ‘Player of the Tournament’

    Not only in ODIs but Babar was also good with the bat in the ICC T20I World Cup 2021. Azam registered the most number of runs in a maiden T20 world cup with 303, which makes him the first batsman to score 300 runs in the T20 World Cup 2021.

    Twitter is flooded with congratulatory notes for the 27-year-old skipper. We have collected a few, have a look:

    https://twitter.com/mdk_gul/status/1485513152708157443?s=20
    https://twitter.com/AhmadDaniyal33/status/1485514895932248067?s=20
  • Will Shaheen Afridi become Captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team? Shaheen speaks out

    Will Shaheen Afridi become Captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team? Shaheen speaks out

    Star pacer of the Pakistan cricket team Shaheen Shah Afridi praised the captaincy of the national team’s all-format skipper Babar Azam and wished for him to continue in this role for at least 10-15 years. The speedster said that he has no plan to captain the team as Babar is leading the team brilliantly.

    Read More – PM Khan predicts winning team of PSL 7

    In a pre-Pakistan Super League (PSL 7) media conference, Lahore Qalandars’ newly appointed captain Afridi was asked whether he would like to do the captaincy of the Pakistan team in the future.

    “I don’t have any plans for now as Babar is leading the side so well. Under his captaincy, the team gelled strongly and performed. I wish he continues as captain for at least 10-15 years,” he responded.

    “In the future, if any opportunity comes to me, I would love to do it for my country. But, for now, I want Babar to continue for long,” he added.

    It must be noted here that Shaheen and Babar will be leading their respective franchises Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings for the first time in PSL 7.

  • Babar declared captain of ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year, Rizwan, Shaheen included

    Babar declared captain of ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year, Rizwan, Shaheen included

    International Cricket Council (ICC) has recognised 11 cricketers from different teams for their exceptional performance in cricket. Pakistan all-format skipper Babar Azam has been declared the captain of the team after his prolific stint in the ICC T20 World Cup.

    Pakistan’s star players, wicket keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and bowling sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi, also made it to the team.

    In a statement issued for the announcement of Men’s T20I Team of the Year, the ICC said that it is to recognise 11 outstanding individuals who have impressed one and all, “be it with the bat, the ball or their all-round exploits in a calendar year.”

    Here is a look at the players who made it to the team from Pakistan.

    Babar Azam

    The Pakistan skipper was at his classy best in the shortest format in 2021, leaving his best at the T20 World Cup where he ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer.

    Overall, Babar played 29 matches and aggregated 939 runs at an average of 37.56 with one century and nine half-centuries. His captaincy was also praised as he led his team to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman.

    Mohammad Rizwan

    The Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter ruled the roost in 2021 when it came to the shortest format of the game. Aggregating a staggering 1,326 runs in only 29 matches, Rizwan struck at an average of 73.66 and a strike-rate of 134.89.

    Apart from his exploits with the bat, he was as solid as ever behind the stumps, playing a key role in Pakistan’s run to the semis during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, where he ended up as the third-highest run-scorer.

    Shaheen Afridi

    It was a year to remember for Shaheen Afridi, especially in the shortest form of the game. Extracting brilliant movement with the new ball and reversing it with the old, Afridi picked up 23 wickets in 21 matches at an average of 26.04 and an economy of 7.86.

    Still only 21, Shaheen will likely lead the Pakistan pace bowling unit for years to come and with already rapid improvements in his bowling, he will undoubtedly prove to be a fearsome prospect.

    The others include Jos Buttler of England, Aiden Markram of South Africa, Mitchell Marsh of Australia, David Miller of South Africa, Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka, Tabraiz Shamsi of South Africa, Josh Hazlewood of Australia, and Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh.

  • Video of young Babar Azam bowling in U19 World Cup goes viral

    Video of young Babar Azam bowling in U19 World Cup goes viral

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently shared a throwback video of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam’s bowling during the semi-final of the under 19 Cricket World Cup.

    “Do you remember when Babar Azam took a wicket in the semi-finals of the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2010?” the ICC captioned the 11-year-old video.

    In the video, Babar can be seen bowling against a West Indies batter and managed to take a wicket as well.

    The video is doing the rounds on social media and fans are loving it.

  • Former cricketer Aqib Javed opposes PSL anthem

    Former cricketer Aqib Javed opposes PSL anthem

    Former Pakistan Test cricketer Aqib Javed has said that every year a new anthem of Pakistan Super League (PSL) is unnecessary.

    “There is no need for an advertising campaign; it is just a plain waste of money. Nobody wants to see singers,” the former head coach said while speaking to Geo News.

    Javed said that money should not be wasted on songs, there is no star bigger than cricketers and fans want to see Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam, not singers.

    “But now, fans come to watch Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and other cricketers in action. There’s no bigger star than the cricketers. People don’t come before the matches to see the singers,” he said.

    He further added that now there is no need for publicity campaign. Fans want to see cricketers in action and the song “Groove Mera” which is popular should be permanent.

    Speaking about his team’s anthems, he said the franchise had released several songs, but none of the songs were as famous as the first one.

    He said that the proposal of PCB chairman Ramiz Raja to hold a four-nation cricket series was good.

  • ‘Lovely surprise’: Shoaib Malik thanks Atif Aslam for popping up at restaurant launch

    ‘Lovely surprise’: Shoaib Malik thanks Atif Aslam for popping up at restaurant launch

    Former Pakistan Cricket Team Captain Shoaib Malik has launched his restaurant “Rice Bowl” in Lahore and hosted a star-studded event. Many Pakistani cricketers including skipper Babar Azam, Wahab Riaz, Waqar Younis, Ahmed Shahzad, Kamran Akmal, Usman Qadir, Hassan Ali among others were present at the launch party.

    Pakistani superstar Atif Aslam also popped up at the launch party, joing the others at dinner.

    Taking to Twitter, Malik thanked Atif, saying: “What a lovely surprise it was @itsaadee to see you pop out of the blue at the launch of #RiceBowl earlier today…”

    “Sir tussi great ho, love you,” he added.

    Veteran cricketers Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saqlain Mushtaq were also spotted at the inaugaration ceremony.

    Malik thanked everyone saying that they graced the launch event.

    Atif also met all the cricketers. In a video widely circulating on social media, they can be seen hugging and shaking hands.

  • VIDEO: Babar Azam recalls the time when his cousins refused to lend him shoes

    VIDEO: Babar Azam recalls the time when his cousins refused to lend him shoes

    A video of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is being widely shared on Twitter from an interview with former Pakistan Cricket team captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, in which he can be seen talking about his past and recalled an incident when he requested his cousins to lend him an extra pair of shoes and they refused to give them to him.

    While in conversation with Inzamam, Babar said that he used to play cricket in the streets and then he joined a cricket club. He said: “When you join a club, you need kits for that. Firstly, I used to borrow kits from fellow trainees but after a month I realised that I also need one. I told my papa that I need a kit but he said that he can not afford it. My mother got to know about this and told me she has saved some money. She gave me about 3500 rupees and I bought a bat worth rupees1500. That was the best moment for me.” Babar shared he still has that bat in his old house.

    He further shared: “When I was first selected for under 15, I asked my cousins if they have extra pair of shoes for me but they said ‘No, we don’t’. That is when I decided not to borrow anything and will do everything on my own from here.”

    He made his Test debut for Pakistan against the West Indies in Dubai on 13 October 2016 and scored 69 runs in his first innings. He was the first player to score a fifty on his Test debut through a day/night Test.

    In September 2019, before the home series against Sri Lanka, he was named as the vice-captain of Pakistan cricket team in both ODIs and T20Is, on the back of his consistent performances in these formats. In October 2019, he was named captain of the Pakistan cricket team in T20Is, ahead of a series with Australia.

    Recently, the all-format captain was also given the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ODI Player of the Year award.


  • ‘That’s me’: ‘Phuppo ki beti’ with Babar Azam revealed

    ‘That’s me’: ‘Phuppo ki beti’ with Babar Azam revealed

    A picture of a girl buttoning up Pakistan all-format cricket Skipper Babar Azam’s coat has been widely shared on social media and netizens are making assumptions about who the girl is. It has been revealed that the girl is Abeeha Mamoon, a Dubai based stylist and makeup artist.

    Commenting under The Current’s post on Instagram, the girl said: “That’s me! A stylist and makeup artist from Dubai. Was working on a shoot with him!”

    Reacting on the post, she said that “this is hilarious”.

    Babar is in Karachi and will soon enter quarantine for the upcoming seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The 27-year-old cricketer will be leading Karachi Kings in this edition.