On May 31, 2015, a shy young man walked out to the cricket field in front of a packed Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, but then not many have seen that coming that the right-hander in his 20s would rule the world in the near future.

Let’s start from the very beginning when a young boy named Babar Azam stood behind the ropes as a ball picker during the South Africa tour of Pakistan in the same venue where he debut for Pakistan almost after eight years.

Then three years later in 2010, when he was about 15 or 16, he found himself playing for the Pakistan Under 19 team in the World Cup. He scored 298 runs for the Men in Green at an average of 56.6 which was enough proof of his commitment and talent.

In the 2012 edition, Babar again impressed everyone with the bat as he went on to score 287 runs at an average of 57.40.

Upon returning to Pakistan, he diverted his attention towards domestic cricket and had an impressive season. He even scored a double ton in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy final to make his case strong for Pakistan selection.

Eventually, Babar was given his maiden ODI cap in his home ground, where he was a ball picker in 2007, to showcase his talent.

Though he made the mark with the bat by scoring a classy half-century, it was just a start of a glittering career that not even Babar Azam had dreamed about.

In general, he had a decent first year in international cricket, but it was far from the current version of Babar Azam.

In 2016, the real test for Babar began, when Mickey Arthur joined the Pakistan team as the head coach. He had a quiet England tour, but again West Indies, he smashed three 100s on a trot to stamp his authority in the limited overs format.

Since winning the Champions trophy under Sarfaraz Ahmed’s captaincy in 2017, he hasn’t looked back and continues to break record after record both as a captain and as a player.

Babar went on to end India great Virat Kohli’s reign as the top ODI batter and he still has a substantial lead at the top from the second spot despite playing only a handful of games.

He scored a total of 228 runs in Pakistan’s famous series win against South Africa back in 2021 to claim the spot for the first time in his career.

So far, Babar has played 100 ODIs for Pakistan and scored 5,089 runs with the help of 18 centuries and 26 half-centuries at an impressive average of 59.17.

Currently sitting at number three, Babar Azam is in a league of his own in T20Is. His consistency with the bat speaks for itself as he scored 3,485 runs in 98 innings for Pakistan at an average of 41.48. He is among the few batters in the world who have scored multiple T20I 100s. He has three to his name.

And in Red ball cricket, Babar’s bat is leaking runs wherever he plays. In just 47 Tests, the prolific batter has scored 3,696 runs at an average of 48.63. The 28-year-old also has nine tons to his name in the format.

From featuring in textbooks to winnings the biggest ICC award, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, he has done it all.

There is also a long list of records linked to Babar Azam’s name such as he is the fastest player to score 5,000 runs in ODI cricket (97 innings), he also holds the record for most runs in the first 25 innings of his career (1306 runs). He is the only cricketer to score five consecutive centuries in a single country (United Arab Emirates) and also the fastest batter to score 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 ODI centuries.

He is the only batsman in history to score three consecutive centuries twice. He is the fastest captain to reach 1,000 ODI runs in 13 innings. Babar has the highest number of runs with 303 runs in the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Babar is also the fastest batter, in terms of time taken, to reach 1,000 runs in T20Is (26 innings). Babar Azam has also scored the most runs for Pakistan in a single World Cup (474 runs in the 2019 World Cup).

He has been the top ODI scorer for Pakistan in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022. Babar Azam has also been the top Test scorer for Pakistan in 2018, 2019, and 2022. He has the highest Test score for a captain and for Pakistan in the fourth innings of a Test match (194).

Babar is the first Pakistani captain to beat India in a World Cup match and also the first Pakistani to win the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year, a feat he has achieved twice.

The right-hander has the highest individual score for a Pakistani captain in ODIs with his 158 against England in 2021. Moreover, Babar is the fastest batter to reach 2000 and 2500 T20I runs, and so on.

The words are not enough to describe Babar Azam’s career and he still has a long way to go. We would love to see him shine for Pakistan for many years to come.