A pleasant surprise was in store for Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Captains’ Day when all 16 skippers of the ICC World T20 2022 attended a special media event in Melbourne. Pakistan's all-format captain Babar turned 28 on Saturday and the star batter was wished by his international counterparts at the Captain's Day press conference in the build-up to the T20 World Cup.
Australian captain Aaron Finch presented Babar with a birthday cake during the media interaction hosted by International Cricket Council (ICC) in Melbourne. Later, the official social media handle of the ICC shared a couple of posts from the cake-cutting ceremony which took place after the press conference. Babar was accompanied by the likes of Rohit Sharma, Kane Williamson, and Jos Buttler as the Pakistan captain celebrated his special day with some of the biggest names in world cricket.
The premier batter of the Green Army arrived in Melbourne with New Zealand captain Kane Williamson after the conclusion of the triangular series. Babar-led Pakistan defeated New Zealand in the final of the tri-series in Christchurch on Friday. Crucial knocks from Mohammad Rizwan (34) and Mohammad Nawaz (38) guided Babar's Pakistan to 5-wicket win over the Williamson-led side at the Hagley Oval.
Babar-led Pakistan side will meet Rohit's Team India in their World Cup opener on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Speaking ahead of Pakistan's T20 World Cup opener at the press conference, Babar was all praise for in-form pacer Haris Rauf. Babar also asserted that Pakistan will try different combinations at the T20 World Cup.
"Pakistan have always come up with quality pace bowlers. Our fast-bowling lineup is also very strong. With Shaheen coming back, it will become stronger. We played with different combinations in our previous games. Haris Rauf has improved his bowling with the new ball and at the death. We can go with different combinations," Babar said.