From ball-picker to Pakistan skipper

LAHORE: Star batsman Babar Azam has revealed that his journey of becoming the Test captain started from a match between Pakistan and South Africa in 2007.

In a video posted by the Pakistan Cricket Board on Saturday, the 26-year-old said that he was a ball-picker in the Test match in 2007 between the Green Caps and the Proteas at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore which increased his passion for the game.

“My cricket journey started back in 2007,” he said. “I had passion for the game but I really wanted to see international stars playing in front of me. At the time, South African team was here so I asked someone to help me become a ball picker. I used to go daily from Gulberg to Gaddafi Stadium.

“I used to enjoy picking up balls. I remember watching Inzamam-ul-Haq’s farewell innings where he got out before breaking the record of great Javed Miandad. I witnessed it live the way he went back to the dressing room and took his anger out. This journey has been long and tough but I feel blessed to be making my Test captaincy debut against the same team,” he said. Babar will be leading the national team for the first time in the five-day format in the first Test against South Africa which will begin from Tuesday at the National Stadium in Karachi.