[Watch] When A 20-Year-Old Babar Azam Made His ODI Debut For Pakistan
Babar Azam in his debut ODI game [X.Com]
8 years ago, one of the finest batters of Pakistan cricket made his ODI debut. With fire in his eyes, a young 20-year-old Babar Azam made his ODI debut for Pakistan against a touring Zimbabwe side.
The ODI match was played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and Pakistan already had an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, and the team management decided to give Babar his first outing in the Green jersey.
Pakistan got off to a flying start with Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez adding 115 for the opening wicket. At 134-2, Babar walked onto the field and played a mature innings which eventually helped him cement his legacy in Pakistan cricket.
Watch: Babar's elegant innings
The youngster played with grit and determination and reached his 50 in 54 deliveries, laced with four gorgeous boundaries. He dealt mostly in singles and doubles, but made sure that the scoreboard kept on ticking. The elegant batter was eventually dismissed by Chris Mpofu as Pakistan reached a competitive 296-6.
In reply, Zimbabwe started off on a strong note, with 68 without losing a wicket in the first nine overs. However, rain interrupted the proceedings and the match was abandoned.
The innings of 50 on debut started a bright journey for Babar in the 50-over format. Since then, the ex-Pakistan skipper has amassed 5729 runs in 117 ODI innings, including 19 centuries.
 "Anurag Dasgupta")
