Babar Azam and Pakistani Cricket: A Success Story
For years, there was little to no international cricket played in Pakistan due to security concerns. But things are slowly returning to normal now, and the country that gave us legendary cricketers like Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram is starting to show its prowess on the pitch once again. This time, however, the star isn’t an all-rounder or batsman; instead, it’s a young wicketkeeper named Babar Azam who has just broken Saeed Anwar’s record to become the highest run scorer in his first year of international cricket.
What Makes Them Successful?
Pakistan has always been a cricket-obsessed nation. When it comes to creating successful cricketers, however, Pakistan’s record has been a mixed bag. Some of its top players are infamous for flunking out of school or taking years to transition from domestic success to international fame. Yet, on other occasions, Pakistan produces some high-quality cricketers who don’t hit their stride until they’re in their 20s or 30s; cricketers like Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq found success much later in life than many of their counterparts but went on to become two of Pakistan’s best captains over that time period. What makes these players different? What can we learn about how to develop young cricketers? How do you know when your child is ready for professional coaching? These questions and more will be answered as we take a look at Babar Azam and Pakistani cricket.
How Babar Got Started
Babar’s family moved to Quetta, Pakistan from Afghanistan when he was three years old. His father and mother worked as laborers at a marble mine, barely making enough money to support their four children. Babar practiced with a tennis ball against a brick wall in his backyard for hours each day, honing his batting skills in an effort to become one of Quetta’s top players. In 2002, just three years after moving to Pakistan, Babar was selected for his district team—he went on to score 32 runs off 30 balls in his debut match. Not long after that, he made history by becoming Pakistan’s youngest cricketer ever when he debuted at 15 years old (the previous record-holder was also from Quetta).
How Many Records Did He Break?
Babar became the fastest man to score 1000 runs in ODI history (17 innings). He scored his 1,000th run off South Africa’s Imran Tahir in second ODI. Before Babar, it took Sachin Tendulkar 28 innings to score 1000 runs while Sourav Ganguly took 34 innings. Pakistan did not have any player who could match these records after Inzamam-ul-Haq retired. But now Pakistan has a new star which is on its way to break more records by becoming one of best players in world cricket. His performance in recent series against Sri Lanka was remarkable. Babar made two centuries, three half centuries and two fifties in five matches he played against Sri Lanka at home. It was truly an amazing feat from a 22-year old lad from Karachi. He also set another record for scoring most number of runs against Sri Lanka with 924 runs at an average of 55.50.
Inzamam made 846 runs at 40 during his career whereas Yousuf Youhana had 699 runs at 35 during his career as openers for Pakistan in ODIs.
Why Does This Mean So Much to Pakistan?
Pakistan has long prided itself on its cricket. However, after being banned from international play due to a match-fixing scandal in 2010, there was concern that Pakistan would lose some of its national identity. This potential loss became even more of a reality as their promising star player, Shahid Afridi, retired from cricket in 2010. Babar Azam is widely considered by experts to be one of the best players to ever come out of Pakistan—so much so that many are calling him The Future in reference to Afridi's previous title.
With great expectations riding on his shoulders, he delivered a performance beyond anyone's wildest dreams at his first appearance for Pakistan against India; he smashed 183 runs off 147 balls with six incredible sixes. His record breaking innings helped lead Pakistan to victory over India, which had previously never lost to them in T20 matches. He then went on to break numerous records and cemented himself as a major force in world cricket. In 2017 alone, he scored 1,788 runs (the most by any batsman) and took 21 wickets (the most by any bowler). Although it may be too early to tell if Babar will have such an impact on Pakistani culture like Afridi did before him, but it seems likely that fans will continue cheering for The Prince well into his career.
Is There More To Do?
Often, it’s been said that there is more to life than cricket. However, for Pakistan, Babar Azam and Pakistani cricket, it doesn’t seem like that’s true; there really is more to do. The young batsman rose through Pakistan's domestic circuit quickly, earning a call-up to their Test side in 2017. Since then he has gone on to become one of their most successful batters. But how did he get here? What are his personal achievements? What drives him now? These are all questions we will attempt to answer in today's post. Let’s get started...
Prior to joining Pakistan’s national team, many eyebrows were raised at Babar Azam being included in recent squads given his relative inexperience. However, those concerns proved irrelevant as early as his second match when Babar hit a century against Sri Lanka. His third Test match was similar as he claimed two centuries against Australia at Adelaide Oval. In these three matches alone he managed 519 runs - an incredible feat considering they were only three Tests! He became only just 22 years old at time too - making him not only one of Pakistan's but also world cricket's youngest centurions ever!
What The Future Holds For Him
I see a very bright future for Babar in Pakistan’s ODI and Test lineup. With his ability to score quickly on demand, I am sure he will be making an impact with both bat and ball consistently at all levels of international cricket. He is also capable of captaining Pakistan after Misbah-ul-Haq retires at least in ODIs. All things considered, it is clear that Babar has what it takes to become one of world cricket’s most feared batsmen. And as a fan, I certainly cannot wait to watch him take on world class bowlers in Test matches! The years ahead promise to be exciting ones for Babar and his fans!
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