The Year 2019: When Babar Azam Was Titled 'The King Of Pakistan'

Babar scored his maiden ODI WC century in 2019 WC [X] Babar scored his maiden ODI WC century in 2019 WC [X]

Babar Azam, touted as the 'King' of Pakistan cricket, is arguably one of the best batters of the modern era. He rose quickly through the prominence and has carved a name for himself amongst the elites, and became the number one batter in ODIs and T20Is.

There was a time when Pakistan had talented batters like Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, and many more. However, in the last 10-years, with the senior players retiring, their was a drought of quality batters in the side and then came Babar.

Throughout his career, he has played match-winning knocks for Pakistan and has been their saviour across formats. When other batters used to struggle for runs, Babar was the one who stood like a brick wall and became the world's best by grinding it out in tough conditions.

However, it wasn't until the 2019 World Cup, that people realised his worth and eventually dubbed him as the new King of cricket.

The match that made Babar Azam, The 'King' of cricket

Heading into the 2019 World Cup, Pakistan's hope rested on the shoulders of a young Babar Azam. The prodigal son had the pressure of an entire nation on his back and he delivered the goods. He slammed 474 runs in 8 innings, at an average of 67.71.

The innings which made people stand and applaud Babar, came against a tough New Zealand side at Edgbaston.

In a must-win game against the Kiwis, Pakistan needed their best batter to perform and Babar stood up. Chasing a tricky 238 under cloudy conditions, Pakistan lost early wickets, and were on the verge of defeat.

However, Babar played the innings of his life and his mesmerising cover-drives still live in the memory of Pakistan fans. The right-handed batter played some gorgeous strokes and slammed his maiden ODI World Cup century, and in the upcoming years, broke several ODI records.

He remained unbeaten at 101 as Pakistan crossed the winning line with 5-balls to spare. The match made the world witness Babar's greatness as and he was touted as the King of Pakistan cricket after this brilliant knock.