Once a little ball boy at Gaddafi Stadium in 2007, Babar Azam has come a long way in his cricketing journey. The former Pakistani captain is now a brilliant player whose bat will be showcased at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. (More Cricket News)
The Pakistan national cricket team has arrived in Australia for their bilateral series, which includes three ODIs and three T20Is starting on November 4. During this tour, Babar Azam received an official invitation from the management to donate the bat he used in Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2022 final match against England, and the 30-year-old batter found it as an honour and gladly accepted.
With this, Babar Azam joins an elite club of cricket legends, that includes Don Bradman, David Boon, Jack Hobbs, and Brian Lara.
Babar Azam scored 32 runs off 28 balls, including two boundaries, in the summit clash that saw Pakistan lose to England, marking their second runner-up finish in T20 World Cups.
Babar contributed with his bat in the hallowed Long Room of the MCG on Friday, stating, "Honestly, it is an honor for me, and this means a lot to me because I played a World Cup final using this bat."
"I have many good memories here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground; it is one of the best grounds of my career. Having my bat placed here alongside those of great players is truly a privilege," he added, as quoted by Geo News.
Babar began his cricket career with the Under-15 World Championship in 2008, followed by the Under-19 World Cups, domestic cricket, and his Pakistan debut in 2015. He served as Pakistan's T20 captain from 2019 to 2024, and in ODIs from 2020 to 2023, as well as in Tests from 2021 to 2023.
Playing 117 ODI matches for Pakistan, Babar Azam has scored 5729 runs.
The top-order Pakistani batter resigned from the white-ball captaincy on October 1, 2024, to shed off workload and focus on his batting.
Nevertheless, Pakistan's tour of Australia will kick off with the first ODI match on November 4 at the MCG, where Mohammad Rizwan will now lead the team as captain, and Jason Gillespie will take the role of coach.
Team Pakistan arrives with renewed confidence after their recent 2-1 Test series victory against England at home. By now, it has been nearly a year since their last appearance in the 50-over format.
The last time Pakistan and Australia clashed in ODI was during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, where the Aussies defeated Pakistan by 62 runs. In that match, Babar Azam scored 18 runs off 14 balls.
However, the World Cup winners, Australia, are never short on confidence as they enter this series following a thrilling 3-2 series win in England in September. This AUS vs PAK series will serve as a warm-up ahead of the Sunil Gavaskar Border Trophy.
