Full Name | Mohammad Babar Azam |
Nick Name | Bobby, Bobsy the King |
Profession | Pakistani international cricketer |
Date of Birth | October 15, 1994 |
Birthplace | Walled City of Lahore, Lahore |
Age | 29 years |
University | N/A |
Education | Till 8th class |
Nationality | Pakistani |
Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
Hair Colour | Black |
Figure Measurement | 42-34-13 inches |
Bowling | Right-arm off break |
Batting | Right-handed |
Role | Batter |
Religion | Islam |
Zodiac/ Star Sign | Libraa |
Gender | Male |
Height | 1.8 m |
Weight | 67 KG |
Father’s Name | Azam Siddique |
Mother’s Name | N/A |
Siblings | Safeer Azam, Faisal Azam (brothers) and Fariya Azam (sister) |
Marital Status | Single |
Wife Name | N/A |
kids | N/A |
Father-in-Law Name | N/A |
Sister-in-Law Name | N/A |
Mother-in-Law Name | N/A |
Net Worth | Approx up to $5 million |
Babar Azam’s Introduction
Babar Azam, born on October 15, 1994, in Pakistan, is a renowned cricketer who leads the Pakistan national team in all formats of the game. He is highly regarded in the cricket world, ranking as the top batter in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and fourth in both Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and Tests as of September 2023. Babar began his international career in May 2015 during a home series against Zimbabwe and quickly made a name for himself with his skillful batting. His impressive start in ODIs led to his selection in both Test and T20I squads, showcasing his versatility as a cricketer. Babar’s journey in cricket has been marked by consistent performances, earning him a spot among the top players globally.
Babar Azam’s Family
Babar Azam comes from a notable Punjabi Muslim family in Lahore. His father’s name is Azam Siddique. Babar has a sister named Fariya Azam and two brothers, Safeer and Faisal Azam. He is part of a cricketing legacy, as his cousins are the well-known Akmal brothers – Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, and Adnan Akmal, who are also established cricketers. Babar’s family environment played a significant role in nurturing his passion for cricket from a young age.
Babar Azam’s International Career
Babar Azam’s Early Career
In May 2015, Babar Azam joined Pakistan’s ODI cricket team for a series against Zimbabwe. He played his first ODI match on May 31 and scored 54 runs. This performance helped him get selected for more matches. However, he didn’t play in the Test series against Sri Lanka and scored a modest total in the ODIs. Later in 2015, he played against England and scored well, helping Pakistan win. In early 2016, during a series in New Zealand, he was the top scorer for Pakistan. Babar also debuted in Twenty20 International cricket against England, contributing to Pakistan’s victory. In a series against Ireland, Pakistan had a big win in the first ODI, but the second match was cancelled due to rain.
Babar Azam Rise in Shorter Formats and Breaking Records
In 2016, Babar Azam played well in a series against the West Indies. He scored his first century in the first match and continued to score centuries in the next two games. He set a record for most runs in a three-match ODI series. In October 2016, he played his first Test match against the West Indies. In 2017, he quickly reached 1,000 runs in ODIs, a record for Pakistan at that time. He also scored well against Australia. Babar became the captain of Pakistan’s ODI team in 2017. He faced challenges in New Zealand in 2018 but did well in T20Is. He had an injury but came back strong against Zimbabwe and played in the 2018 Asia Cup.
Babar Azam’s 2019 Cricket World Cup
In April 2019, Babar Azam was chosen to play for Pakistan in the 2019 Cricket World Cup. The ICC recognized him as a promising new player in the World Cup. He also joined Somerset for the 2019 T20 Blast. Before the World Cup, Pakistan played a series against England. Babar scored 65 runs in the T20I game and was the top scorer in the ODI series with 277 runs. During the World Cup, he became the fastest Pakistani player to reach 3,000 runs in ODIs. He also scored his 10th ODI century against New Zealand and broke a 32-year-old record for a Pakistani middle-order batsman in a World Cup match. In a game against Bangladesh, he set a new Pakistani record for most runs in a single World Cup.
Babar Azam Test Performances and Leadership Roles
Babar Azam was named the vice-captain of Pakistan’s cricket team for ODIs and T20Is in September 2019. He scored his 11th century in one of these matches. He then became the captain for T20Is and scored well in Tests. In December 2019, Sri Lanka played Tests in Pakistan, and Babar performed excellently. He also led Pakistan to win a T20I series against Bangladesh. In 2020, he became the ODI captain and was praised for his play against England. Later, he set a record for scoring the most runs in a year for Pakistan.
No. 1 ODI Batsman
In April 2021, Babar Azam, while playing against South Africa, scored his 13th ODI century in his 76th match. This achievement made him the fastest player to reach 13 ODI centuries, breaking Hashim Amla’s record of 83 innings. After this series, Babar became the world’s top-ranked ODI batsman with 865 points, overtaking Virat Kohli, who had held the top spot for 1258 days.
2021–Present
On April 14, 2021, Babar Azam hit his first T20I century in a game against South Africa, sharing a record-breaking partnership with Mohammad Rizwan. In April 2021, he became the fastest to score 2,000 T20I runs. Babar led Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, setting records for fifties and runs. In 2022, against Australia, he broke the record for the most runs by a captain in a test’s fourth innings and quickly reached 4,000 ODI runs. He led Pakistan to its first ODI series win against Australia since 2002. In 2023, Babar scored his third T20I century and led Pakistan to become the no. 1 ODI team. He stepped down as captain after a disappointing World Cup campaign.
Babar Azam’s Domestic and Franchise Cricket
Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and National T20 Cup
Babar Azam started his cricket career with the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited and Islamabad Leopards teams. He then played first-class cricket for the State Bank of Pakistan and Sui Southern Gas Company teams. In 2019, he became the captain of Central Punjab, leading them to win the trophy by defeating Northern. He set a record in the National T20 Cup for scoring three centuries and over 1,500 runs in a year. Babar continued to lead Central Punjab in the following season and broke the record for the fastest 1,000 runs in the National T20 Cup. In 2021, he became the fastest to score 7,000 T20 runs.
Pakistan Super League
Babar Azam first played for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League, then joined Karachi Kings in 2017. He was a top scorer in the 2017 and 2020 seasons, leading Karachi to victory in 2020 and being named Player of the Tournament. In 2021, he set a record for most runs in a PSL season, later broken by Fakhar Zaman. Babar became captain of Karachi Kings in 2022. In 2023, he was traded to Peshawar Zalmi, where he was named captain, replacing Wahab Riaz.
Other Leagues
In 2016, Babar Azam was signed by the Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League, but he couldn’t play due to national commitments. In 2017, he played for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League and Sylhet Sixers in the BPL. Somerset signed him for the 2019 T20 Blast, where he was the top run-scorer. He rejoined Somerset in 2020 for the T20 Blast and first-class matches. Babar scored his career-best T20 score of 114 not out and reached 5,000 T20 runs, the third fastest globally and fastest in Asia. However, Somerset didn’t make it to the quarter-finals.
Babar Azam’s Cricketing Records
Record | Details |
3rd fastest Pakistani to 1000 ODI runs | 21 innings |
Joint fastest Pakistani to 2000 ODI runs | 45 innings, with Zaheer Abbas |
2nd fastest Asian to 3000 ODI runs | 68 innings |
Fastest to 5000 ODI runs | 97 innings |
Most runs in first 25 ODI innings | 1306 runs |
5 consecutive ODI centuries in a single country | United Arab Emirates |
Fastest to 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 ODI centuries | 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 centuries |
2nd most ODI centuries for Pakistan | 19 centuries, behind Saeed Anwar (20) |
Only batsman to score 3 consecutive centuries twice | 3 consecutive centuries twice |
Fastest captain to 1000 ODI runs | 13 innings |
Highest runs in 2021 T20 World Cup | 303 runs |
Fastest to 1000 T20I runs | 26 innings |
Most runs for Pakistan in a single World Cup | 474 runs (2019 World Cup) |
Top ODI scorer for Pakistan (2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022) | Years 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022 |
Top Test scorer for Pakistan (2018, 2019, 2022) | Years 2018, 2019, 2022 |
Highest Test score for Pakistan in 4th innings | Highest score in 4th innings |
First Pakistani captain to beat India in a World Cup match | Beat India in World Cup match |
First Pakistani to win ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year twice | Twice as ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year |
Highest individual ODI score for Pakistani captain | 158 runs against England in 2021 |
Fastest to 2000 and 2500 T20I runs | 2000 and 2500 runs |
Century in all formats and most T20I centuries for Pakistan | Century in all formats, highest T20I score |
Highest run scorer in PSL (2020, 2021) | 473 and 554 runs, all-time leading scorer |
First Pakistani Captain with 1000 runs in all formats | 1000 runs across all formats |
First Pakistani and fourth captain with century in all formats | Century in all formats |
4th most balls faced in 4th innings of a Test match | 425 balls against Australia in Karachi, 2022 |
2nd most minutes batted in 4th innings | 2nd most minutes batted |
Joint most international centuries by a Pakistani captain | Most centuries as captain |
Most fifty plus scores in a calendar year | 25 fifty plus scores |
Youngest to receive Sitara-e-Imtiaz | Youngest recipient |
Babar Azam’s Awards
Year | Award |
2017 | ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year 2017 |
2017 | PCB’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: 2017 |
2018 | PCB’s T20I Cricketer of the Year: 2017 |
2019 | ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year 2019 |
2020 | Pakistan Super League Player of the Tournament 2020 |
2020 | ARY News Person of the Year 2020 |
2021 | ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2021 |
2021 | Captain of ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year 2021 |
2021 | Captain of ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year 2021 |
2021 | Captain of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Team of the Tournament 2021 |
2021 | ICC Player of the Month for April 2021 |
2021 | PCB’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: 2021 |
2022 | ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) 2022 |
2022 | ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2022 |
2022 | Captain of ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year 2022 |
2022 | ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year 2022 |
2022 | ICC Player of the Month for March 2022 |
2023 | Awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Pakistan’s third highest civilian award) |
Babar Azam’s Net Worth
As of the latest available information, Babar Azam, the renowned Pakistani cricketer, has an estimated net worth of approximately up to $5 million. This impressive figure reflects his success and popularity in the world of cricket. Azam’s wealth primarily stems from his career as a professional cricketer, including salaries from national and international matches, earnings from various T20 leagues around the world, and lucrative endorsement deals. His consistent performance on the field and growing reputation as one of cricket’s leading batsmen have significantly contributed to his financial success.
FAQ’s
What is the record of Babar Azam?
Babar Azam achieved the milestone of being the first active Pakistani player and the fifth overall to score 9000 international runs outside of Pakistan. Before this achievement, he had amassed 8971 runs in 205 matches across different formats and required just 29 more runs to reach this landmark. He accomplished this during the second innings, shortly after the powerplay, in Pakistan's run-chase.
How many centuries has Babar Azam been?
As of August 31, 2023, Babar Azam has represented Pakistan in 49 Test matches, 108 ODIs (One Day Internationals), and 104 T20Is (Twenty20 Internationals). Throughout his career, he has achieved the milestone of scoring a century, which means 100 or more runs in a single innings, 31 times. This includes 9 centuries in Test matches, 19 centuries in ODIs, and 3 centuries in T20Is.
How many sixes has Babar Azam hit?
Babar Azam, in his ODI career, has struck a total of 520 fours and 60 sixes. In one of his latest ODI games, which happened in November 2023 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, he scored 38 runs from 45 balls. As for his T20 career, he has participated in 106 matches and amassed 3,608 runs, maintaining an average of 42.
Why did Babar Azam retire?
Babar Azam has stepped down from his role as the captain of the Pakistan cricket team following their inability to progress beyond the group stage in the Cricket World Cup. In a statement the batsman announced, ‘Today, I am stepping down as the captain of Pakistan in all formats’.