Babar Azam was a precocious and promising 22-year-old when he helped Pakistan win the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy in 2017.
Almost eight years on, he has developed into one of the world’s best batters across all formats and has his sights set on helping his country repeat the feat.
The 2017 competition helped Babar announce himself on the international scene. A typically busy 46 from 52 balls in the final against India helped Pakistan on their way to a 180-run win at The Oval which remains etched in the national cricketing consciousness.
But the elegant right-hander refuses to live in the past and wants to make more memories in front of the adoring Pakistani public in the coming weeks.
“I am very excited,” he said. “We are going to have an ICC tournament in Pakistan after a very long time. As a player, I am very excited, and all the fans are excited.
“My primary memories of the 2017 final are Fakhar Zaman’s innings (of 114), the spell of Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali’s spell and the winning moment.
“For me, it was a new journey as I was a young player. Playing against India, that excitement and the nervousness was there but when we won, we enjoyed and celebrated.
“A lot has changed since the Champions Trophy was held in 2017. We have new players coming, we only have three or four players who were part of that winning team. But the belief, confidence and execution is the same.”
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Pakistan kick-off the tournament against New Zealand in Karachi on Wednesday, a clash which will include two of biggest names in the competition, with Babar set to go head-to-head with Kiwi star Kane Williamson.
Joe Root, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli are part of the respective England, Australia and India squads but Babar stands in a league of his own in ODI cricket, heading into this competition as the world’s top ranked batter in the 50-over format.
“When you have responsibility as a senior player in any team and the team relies on you and has belief in you, then I take it in a positive way,” he said.
“I try to give my best in every match. I try to perform so that Pakistan win and I enjoy my cricket.”
His form will be crucial if Pakistan are to improve on their recent tournament record. They have been knocked out in the group stage at the last two ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups and suffered the same fate at last year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after losing to co-hosts USA.
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“There is no pressure of anything,” Babar said.
“What has happened in the past is beyond us. We have discussed mistakes we have made and we have worked on them. So we will try not to do what we have done in the past.”
Home advantage could be key if Pakistan are to experience a change in fortunes. Babar’s home city of Lahore is among the three Pakistani cities hosting matches and he believes local knowledge will help his side thrive.
“When you play at home you get that edge as you know the conditions,” he said.
“You have a knowledge of how the pitch will behave, both in the first and second (innings), but still you have to play good cricket because all other teams are among the best.
“It means a lot to be hosting the competition. The hospitality here in Pakistan is great and people love cricket here.
“Cricket puts everyone in one place. It unites everyone and the whole of Pakistan is busy praying that Pakistan wins. Everyone is united in that.”
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