Babar Azam showered with wishes on 30th birthday

Former Pakistan captain and star batter Babar Azam has turned 30, and fellow cricketers are showering him with heartfelt wishes and praise for his unwavering dedication as a sportsman. 

As he celebrates this milestone birthday, Babar is taking a break during the second and third matches of the ongoing Test series between Pakistan and England. This marks the first time since his white-ball debut against Zimbabwe in 2015 and his Test debut against the West Indies a year later that he has been dropped from the national team.

Babar first rose to prominence in 2016 with three consecutive centuries in an ODI series against the West Indies. Five years later, he replaced Indian great Virat Kohli as the world's number one ODI batsman, a position he currently holds despite being briefly unseated.

Two years ago, Babar was at the pinnacle of his career, leading the team and ranking as a top batsman in all three formats. While he still ranks fourth among T20 batsmen, he has faced challenges in the longer format, causing him to drop out of the world's top 10.

To celebrate this special occasion, fellow cricketers seized the opportunity to wish him well and acknowledge his on-field talents. Players like Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Aamir Jamal, and Salman Ali Agha shared their affection for the former skipper on social media.

Shadab took to Instagram to post a photo of himself with Babar, both wearing their green jerseys. He captioned it, "Happy birthday @babarazam. May you have a great year on and off the field. Everyone knows your batting class."