On Thursday, Pakistani captain Babar Azam became the nation’s youngest recipient of the third-highest civilian honor, Sitara-e-Imtiaz.
At an investiture ceremony conducted at the Punjab Governor House as part of Pakistan Day celebrations, Governor Baligh Ur Rehman presented the honor to Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar.
Babar, who is 28 years old, has now received the Sitara-e-Imtiaz award for his exceptional sports achievements, making him the youngest recipient ever. The previous record holder for receiving the Sitara-e-Imtiaz was Sarfaraz Ahmed, who succeeded Babar.
In the Governor House in Karachi in 2018, then-Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair presented the honor to Sarfaraz, who had led Pakistan to the Champions Trophy victory in 2017.
The government said on August 14 of last year that Babar would get the nation’s third-highest civilian honor. In May 2015, Babar played his first game of international cricket against Zimbabwe. In 2016, his performances ultimately resulted in debuts in T20Is and Tests.
Babar has scored 3,696 runs at an average of 48.63 in 47 Test matches and 4,813 runs at an average of 59.41 in 95 One Day Internationals. Babar has 3,355 runs at an average of 41.41 in 99 T20Is.
In his ongoing cricket career, Babar has received numerous honors, including the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year. Under his leadership, Pakistan defeated India in a world cup match for the first time, and they also advanced to the finals of the most recent T20 global championship.
Other cricketers who have earned the award in addition to Babar and Sarfaraz are Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, and Shahid Afridi for their exceptional contributions. Although Saeed Ajmal earned the honor in 2015, Inzamam ul Haq in 2005, and Javed Miandad in 1992, Mohammad Yousuf received it in 2011.
