Mohammad Babar Azam, born on 15 October 1994 in the Walled City of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, is a leading Pakistani international cricketer known for his elegant right-handed batting.
He has represented Pakistan across all formats since his One Day International debut in 2015 and previously captained the national side in Tests, ODIs and T20 Internationals.
A top-order batter who occasionally bowls right-arm off-break, Azam rose from humble beginnings as the son of Mohammad Azam Siddiqui, who ran a small watch-repair shop, and a housewife mother.
His early exposure to the game came through serving as a ball boy at Gaddafi Stadium and training under coach Rana Sadiq before progressing through Pakistan’s under-19 ranks.
Inspired by his older first cousins Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal, he turned professional and established himself as one of the most consistent and technically accomplished batters of his generation.
Siblings
Babar is the eldest of three siblings. His brothers are Safeer Azam and Faisal Azam, and his sister is Fariya Azam.
The family belongs to a Punjabi Muslim household that has remained close-knit despite Babar’s rise to international fame.
Safeer Azam, the younger brother, has shown interest in cricket and shares a strong physical resemblance to Babar.
He has been seen supporting his sibling publicly and pursuing his own involvement in the sport at a domestic level.
Faisal Azam has explored business ventures and media after earlier attempts at cricket, and he is known to have two daughters.
Fariya Azam has largely stayed out of the public eye while focusing on her studies, though the family as a whole has offered consistent encouragement throughout Babar’s career.
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Beyond his immediate siblings, Babar is a first cousin of the Akmal brothers – Kamran, Umar and Adnan – who all represented Pakistan and whose success further motivated his own path into the game.
Career
Azam’s international career began with his ODI debut against Zimbabwe on 31 May 2015 in Lahore, where he scored a composed fifty.
He made his T20I debut against England in September 2016 and his Test debut against the West Indies in Dubai the following month.
Early breakthroughs included three consecutive ODI centuries against the West Indies in 2016, a feat that announced him as a special talent.
He became a mainstay across formats, accumulating substantial runs and frequently occupying top positions in the ICC batting rankings.
In 2017 he was part of Pakistan’s victorious Champions Trophy campaign.
Leadership followed: he was appointed T20I captain in 2019, later taking charge of the ODI and Test sides as well, guiding the team to notable series wins and a runners-up finish at the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Domestically he has played for multiple sides and currently captains Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League.
Known for classical technique, impeccable timing and consistency under pressure, Azam has scored thousands of runs in each format, including multiple centuries, and holds several records for speed of reaching career milestones for a Pakistani batter.
He stepped down from full-time captaincy after the 2023 ODI World Cup but continues to feature prominently for Pakistan.
Accolades
Azam was named ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year in both 2021 and 2022 and received the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy as ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year in 2022.
He has been selected for multiple ICC Teams of the Year across formats and has earned Player of the Month awards.
At the national level he has been recognised with PCB awards for performances in ODIs and T20Is.
In 2023 he became the youngest recipient of the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s third-highest civilian honour, conferred for his services to cricket.
Additional milestones include periods as the world’s number-one ranked batter in ODIs and T20Is, records for the fastest Pakistani to various run landmarks, and significant contributions to Pakistan’s limited-overs successes, including the 2017 Champions Trophy triumph.
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