Babar Azam becomes the youngest Pakistani cricketer to receive Sitara-e-Imtiaz

LAHORE – Pakistani skipper Babar Azam has been honoured with the country’s top civil award for his remarkable contributions to the country’s cricket.

At the tender age of 28, the right-handed batter becomes the youngest cricketer to receive Sitara-e-Imtiaz for his outstanding achievements in the game.

Punjab Governor Baligh Ur Rehman conferred the civil award on the flamboyant batter at an investiture ceremony held at the Governor House as part of Pakistan Day celebrations.

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Babar, famously known as cover drive king, is currently on a break from cricket to attend the ceremony, as the cricketer will not be taking part in the series against Afghanistan. During his career, he emerged as a role model for aspiring players.

Babar contributed a lot to Pakistani cricket in a short stint of time as he led the semi-final of the T20 World Cup and the final of the ICC World T20 2022. He made his debut in international cricket in 2015 and raked a hand full of accolades in cricket history. The top player even bagged several feats at the international level.

He scored 3,696 runs with an average of 48.63 in 47 Test games, and in 95 One Day Internationals, he amassed 4,813 runs at an average of 59.41. In the shortest format, Babar holds scores of awards for his unique style.

For the unversed, former Pakistani skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed previously holds the record for being the youngest to be awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz. Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, and Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Javed Miandad have also conferred the prestigious award for their contributions.

Profile: Babar Azam