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Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam joined the elite club of cricket icons after his bat became a part of the showcase in the prestigious Long Room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), according to Geo News.
The renowned showcase already features bats donated by cricket legends Don Bradman, David Boon, Jack Hobbs, and Brian Lara. According to Geo News, the Melbourne Cricket Ground management extended a special invitation to Babar and asked him to contribute the bat that he used in Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2022 final clash against England, which the 30-year-old accepted. While talking about the honour that was recently bestowed on him, Babar reminisced about the special connection he shares with the MCG. "Honestly, it is an honour for me, and this means a lot to me because I played a World Cup final using this bat," Azam said after donating his equipment at the MCG long room on Friday. "I have many good memories here at the MCG [...] it is one of the best grounds of my career. Having my bat placed here alongside those of great players is truly a privilege," Babar said, as quoted from Geo News. At the beginning of last month, Babar submitted his resignation as Pakistan men's white-ball captain, which was accepted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Last week, ahead of Pakistan's limited-overs tours of Australia and Zimbabwe, the PCB announced wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan's new white-ball skipper with Salman Ali Agha as vice-captain. Pakistan arrived in Australia earlier this week ahead of the first ODI, which will begin on Monday at the MCG. Pakistan's ODI squad for Australia: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi. (ANI)
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