BENGALURU: Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam celebrated his 29th birthday with teammates ahead of their ICC World Cup 2023 fixture against Australia, scheduled on October 20.
Babar Azam-led Pakistan’s contingent reached here on Sunday evening via a chartered flight from Ahmedabad.
Briefly, after landing at Kempegowda International Airport, the team was taken to a local hotel, where the birthday celebrations of the star batter began.
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Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared footage of Babar Azam’s birthday celebration.
In the video, the Pakistan captain can be seen cutting a customized cake on his 29th birthday, accompanied by his teammates and the hotel staff.
“Celebrating our skipper [Babar Azam’s] birthday at the team hotel in Bengaluru,” wrote PCB.
Celebrating our skipper @babarazam258's birthday at the team hotel in Bengaluru 🎂✨#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/D8Lrfet5in
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 15, 2023
For the unversed, this was Babar’s second straight birthday, which fell during an ICC tournament.
He celebrated his 28th birthday on the ICC Captains’ Day ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022.
Following a joint press conference ahead of the commencement of the mega event, all teams’ skippers celebrated the Pakistan captain’s birthday.
Babar was having a conversation with Scotland captain Richie Berrington when Australia’s Aaron Finch surprised him with the birthday cake.
Meanwhile, Babar-led Pakistan, which succumbed to a seven-wicket thrashing against India, next face five-time champions Australia on Friday.
The former champions currently sit fourth in the ICC World Cup 2023 standings with four points in three matches while Australia are ninth.
Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023
Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.
Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan
Pakistan’s remaining ICC World Cup 2023 fixtures
- October 20 – vs Australia in Bengaluru
- October 23 – vs Afghanistan in Chennai
- October 27 – vs South Africa in Chennai
- October 31 – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
- November 4 – vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
- November 11 – vs England in Kolkata
The day matches will start at 10:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures, starting at 01:30 pm (PST).
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