Babar Azam with the Pakistani greats at the Lord's (Source: @RayhamUnplugged/x.com)
After the Pakistan Super League came into the limelight, young Pakistani stars got a stage to showcase their talent. This year, the hype hit the heavens as the PSL’s legendary roadshow rocked the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground.
From foreign stars to Pakistani talents, the league delivered some unreal T20 dramas. During the panel discussion at the roadshow, former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam revisited his own PSL journey, calling the league the ultimate stage for discovering real talent.
Babar Azam relives his PSL journey so far
After the franchise T20 leagues took over the cricket world, Pakistan launched its own, ‘Pakistan Super League’. Since the league was introduced, the grassroots stars have had the perfect stage for showcasing their talent. Ahead of the upcoming season, the league stepped onto the global stage with the historic roadshow at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
International cricket has showcased Babar Azam at his finest, but his PSL chapter began in 2016 with Islamabad United. Later on, he represented Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi. During the panel discussion of the roadshow, Babar Azam recalled his PSL journey so far.
“Journey has been really good, and also the experience. As a youngster, when I played [in the PSL], the only thing on my mind was that 'I should learn from the top players as much as I can'. And, I shared dressing room with many big players, and it helped me a lot as a person and as a cricketer,” he said.
“I used to try to go and talk to established cricketers at that time like [Kumar] Sangakkara, Chris Gayle, [Andre] Russell, and Mahela Jayawardene. To share dressing room with them, observe the way they talk and what they teach us, helped me a lot because they have a long journey behind them and plenty of experience,” he added.
PSL shapes youngster Babar into the star Babar Azam
Pakistan has gifted some of the outstanding batters over the years, and Babar Azam is one of them. As the world now knows his excellence, the Pakistan Super League played a crucial part in his journey early on. Reflecting on his rise, Babar credited the league for molding his game and called it the perfect springboard for emerging talent.
“Means a lot. As a youngster, it was a platform for me. Now, as a senior player, having been through a long journey, I advise youngsters to take this as an opportunity, groom themselves as players, and learn as much as they can,” he added.
Before the next edition even begins, the Pakistan Super League is gearing up for a major leap with the arrival of two new franchises. With that, talent will find more space to grow, and Pakistan cricket may find future superstars from this.
