Shaheer Ahmed
Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, will be honoured with the prestigious civil award for his remarkable contributions to Pakistan’s cricket as a captain and a top-performing batter. Babar Azam to be honoured with Sitar-e-Imtiaz will make him the second youngest person in Pakistan to receive this award which indeed at the age of 28, is a very big achievement.
In a previous announcement, the Government of Pakistan said that Babar will be honoured with the Sitara-e-Imtiaz award; the ceremony to bestow this honour has now been scheduled and will take place on the specified day. On 23rd March 2023 in conjunction with celebrations for Pakistan Day, the recipient will be honoured with the award.
The right-hand batsman will be missing in action for the next series against Afghanistan, which begins on March 24th, so he may be present for the event.
This distinction is a testimonial to Babar Azam’s devotion and hard work in the game of cricket, and the fact that he has become a role model for aspiring cricketers is evidenced by the fact that he has received this honour.
Babar Azam to be honoured with Sitar-e-Imtiaz isn’t the first cricketer to be awarded with this prestigious award. There have been a number of other outstanding cricketers from Pakistan who have been awarded the coveted title of Sitara-e-Imtiaz by the government of Pakistan.
Notable recipients of the country’s third-highest civil accolade include four former captains: Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, and Sarfraz Ahmed.
Just four previous cricketers before them have been honoured with the Sitara-e-Imtiaz for their outstanding athletic achievements. Such examples include Mohammad Yousuf (2011), Saeed Ajmal (2015), Javed Miandad (1992), and Inzamam ul Haq (2005).
In the past, the youngest Pakistani cricketer to win the Sitara-e-Imtiaz award was Sarfraz Ahmed, who later went on to become the former captain of Pakistan.
