Babar Azam Career



Babar Azam Career (Source:@BA56_MOB,x.com)Babar Azam Career (Source:@BA56_MOB,x.com)

Pakistan batting luminary Babar Azam has personified finesse with his graceful stroke-play and unwavering consistency on the international stage. Widely revered as one of the stalwarts of modern-day batsmanship, his mastery has firmly inscribed him as a pivotal force in Pakistan’s cricketing echelons.

Making his debut in 2015, the cricketer steadily etched his mark in Pakistan’s coloured clothing before becoming a linchpin of their famed batting line-up across all formats.

Babar Azam's Cricket Career

Born in October 1994 and emboldened by older cousins Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal, Babar Azam took up cricket as his primary profession and commenced his journey as a ball boy at the Gaddafi Stadium. The then teenager soon joined a cricket academy where his impressive run earned him one of the slots in Pakistan’s Under-19 setup.

After toiling away for nearly five years in domestic cricket, Babar Azam received his maiden international cap in May 2015 at Lahore. Notably, according to Babar Azam stats, his debut in ODI cricket was marked by a crafty half-century against Zimbabwe in May 2015 at Lahore. 

Babar Azam International Career​

Babar Azam International Career​ (Source:@mafzalkolachi,x.com)Babar Azam International Career​ (Source:@mafzalkolachi,x.com)

It is important to mention that Babar Azam has played for these teams throughout his career till now- Pakistan, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, Balochistan, Islamabad Leopards, Islamabad, Lahore Blues, Lahore Eagles, Lahore Whites, Pakistan A, Punjab Pakistan, State Bank of Pakistan, Sui Southern Gas Corporation, Pakistan Under-19, Somerset, Sylhet Strikers, Rangpur Riders, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Faisalabad and 

The star batter has also played for Rawalpindi, Pakistan Under-23, Federal United, Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi, Pakistanis, Vancouver Knights, Dublin Chiefs, Central Punjab, Colombo Strikers, Pakistan Cricket Board Greens, and Stallions. 

Babar Azam's T20I Career

Babar Azam's T20I Career (Source:@guluru_,x.com)Babar Azam's T20I Career (Source:@guluru_,x.com)

Babar Azam made his T20I debut with an away match against England at Manchester in September 2016. 

Babar made his first T20I ton by a whisker against South Africa in 2021, where he scored a match-winning 122 from just 59 balls in the 3rd T20I at Centurion. For his stellar records with the bat, the cricketer achieved the number one ranking on ICC T20I batting charts for the first time in his career in late 2018.

Apart from number one rankings, he reached an all-time high in his T20I career during the 2021 T20 World Cup in UAE, where the batting veteran led Pakistan to a historic win over India, their first against them in any World Cup game.

Babar Azam's ODI Career

Babar Azam's ODI Career (Source:@Iamzahidanwar01,x.com)Babar Azam's ODI Career (Source:@Iamzahidanwar01,x.com)

Babar Azam made his ODI debut against  Zimbabwe, in the 3rd ODI at Lahore on May 31 2015. His career in the ODI format reached heights when he entered the 2019 World Cup off the back of his 277-run series tally against England. 

The star middle-order batter sustained his golden touch with the bat by scoring a match-winning century against New Zealand. He eventually ended his maiden World Cup edition with 474 runs to his name, thus surpassing Javed Miandad’s record of scoring the highest number of runs in a single edition of the tournament in Pakistan’s cricket history.

However, Babar failed to replicate his batting success at the 2023 ICC World Cup in India, where he returned with a below-par tournament haul of just 320 runs from nine innings, at a substandard average of 40. 

The Pakistan star player was last seen playing against New Zealand on April 5, 2025 at Mount Maunganui. 

Babar Azam Test Career

Babar Azam Test Career (Source:@Shebas_10dulkar,x.com)Babar Azam Test Career (Source:@Shebas_10dulkar,x.com)

Babar Azam made his Test debut with a match against West Indies in Dubai in October 2016. While the prodigious batting talent scored 69 in his first innings, he underwent a major slump in his early Test profile, scoring just two half-centuries in his subsequent 15 outings with the bat.

His career-defining innings came against New Zealand in November 2018 in Dubai, where he scored an unbeaten 127 to headline Pakistan’s one-sided win. Another important part of his test career came during 2022 against Australia. The former Pakistan made his highest Test score of 196. In this innings, he made the highest-ever score by a captain in the fourth innings of a match and the second-longest innings by a batter in the fourth innings of a Test.

Babar Azam PSL Career

Babar Azam PSL Career (Source:@HassanAbbasian,x.com)Babar Azam PSL Career (Source:@HassanAbbasian,x.com)

Apart from dominating the T20I batting charts, Babar Azam is also at the top of the run-scoring pile in Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches. 

Turning up for Islamabad United in his maiden PSL outing in 2016, the cricketer was roped in by the Karachi Kings franchise in 2017. He spent six seasons at the Karachi camp, before eventually joining the Peshawar Zalmi team as their captain from 2023 onwards for a fresh PSL stint.

 FAQs - Babar Azam's Career

Q: When did Babar Azam made his international debut for Pakistan?

Answer: Babar Azam made his international debut for Pakistan through an ODI match against Zimbabwe at Lahore on May 31, 2015. The then 20-year-old scored 54 runs in his maiden innings.

Q.2 Did Babar Azam retire?

Answer: No, Babar Azam has not retired from international cricket.

Q.3 Who is Babar Azam's idol?

Answer: Earlier, Babar Azam himself stated that former player Mohammad Yousuf is his idol. He also stated that he watched and admires Yousuf's elegant batting style.

Q4. Which franchises has Babar Azam played for in Pakistan Super League (PSL)?

Answer: Babar Azam made his PSL debut for Islamabad United in 2016. He played the subsequent six seasons for Karachi Kings and is currently a part of the Peshawar Zalmi franchise in PSL.