Pakistan star batter Babar Azam has requested the media to “stop calling” him “King”. Notably, Babar is often referred to by that nickname as a sense of admiration for his performance in the game of cricket. He has played 59 Tests, 125 ODIs, and 128 T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 4235, 5990, and 4223 runs. “Please stop calling me King. I am not King, I am not there yet. There are new roles for me now. Whatever I have done before is in the past. Every match is a fresh challenge, and I must focus on the present and future,” Babar told media.
Babar’s request tothe media comes amid the player’s below-par performance according to the high standards he has set for himself.
For me, he is @babarazam258 that we have, not the king Please, Babarians, stop calling him the king That king name will ruin his career #BabarAzam | #BabarAzam | #PAKvsSA pic.twitter.com/UzZpfLagUD
— Muhammad Zubair (@mzubair_56) February 13, 2025
Earlier, former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed had spoken on how batting of openers Fakhar Zaman and Babar will help the hosts in their title defence at the upcoming Champions Trophy, which will start on February 19.
Notably, Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in 2017 by defeating India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval.
“Pakistan has a really good chance of defending that title and I think they have a strong team. Some of the boys from 2017 are still there and we are talking about some of the best – especially Babar Azam,” said Sarfaraz.
“He is a different Babar to the one that played in 2017, a more mature player and a dominant player in the game. His batting will be so important for Pakistan and so will Fakhar Zaman’s,” he added.
The India vs Pakistan blockbuster clash in the 2025 Champions Trophy is set to take palce at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 23. Sarfaraz pointed out that the players need to stay calm and perform without pressure during the match against their arch-rivals.
“Whenever we meet, it is a special occasion and there is so much hype and pressure around it. But as players, you need to stay calm, try and block that noise out, and just play with the same intensity as you would play Australia or any other team,” said the former batter.
Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Pakista’s Champions Trophy fixtures: Against New Zealand (February 19 at Karachi), India (February 23 at Dubai), and Bangladesh (February 27 at Rawalpindi).
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