Even after a downfall in his form, Babar Azam continues to be loved by his fans in the whole country. His popularity has resulted in comparisons to the legendary Imran Khan.
Former cricketer Basit Ali recently put light on how Babar has gained such a massive fan base, at just 29, which has exceeded cricketing greats like Javed Maindad and Wasim Akram.
Babar Azam’s struggles with his form in recent times has given rise to concerns among critics. This has not decreased his standing in Pakistan’s cricket fans. Basit observed that a lot of players lose support during their low times, Babar’s followers have supported him nonetheless. This loyalty has made him a prominent figure in sports coverage on Pakistani news channels.
Even though he did not lead Pakistan to a victory in the World Cup, Babar as a captain in both T20I and ODI formats has given him a solid position as an important figure in Pakistan’s cricketing scenario.
“Babar Azam hasn’t been scoring runs. However, even if he is walking somewhere, the video of that is everywhere on the television. This is when he is out of form. It’s Babar Azam on one side, and all the remaining players on the other side. Every movement of his is on the television,” Ali was quoted.
“He is the number one in Pakistan in terms of fan following. We have seen the same with Imran Khan. When Imran used to come into the ground, everyone would just chant for him. Now look at Babar Azam, the whole of Faisalabad is crazy for him,” he added.
