LAHORE: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Thursday became the youngest cricket player to be conferred with the Sitara-e-Imtiaz. Babar Azam was conferred with the award by Punjab Governor Baligh Ur Rehman in a ceremony held at the Governor House Punjab as part of Pakistan Day celebrations.
Babar Azam has become the youngest cricket player to be awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz for his outstanding successes in the field of cricket and sports. The captain called it an “immense honor” to receive Sitara-e-Imtiaz in the presence of his parents.
He tweeted, “This award is for my parents, people, and fans,”.
Immense honour to have received Sitara-e-Imtiaz in the presence of my mother and father.
This award is for my parents, fans and the people of 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/Gafwlu3rUC
— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) March 23, 2023
Earlier, Babar Azam’s predecessor Sarfaraz Ahmed held the record as the youngest player to be awarded the country’s highest award. The government announced on August 14, 2022, that it will be conferring Babar Azam with the country’s third-highest civilian award.
Apart from Babar Azam and Sarfaraz Ahmad other cricketers that have received the award include Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Inzamam ul Haq, Shahid Afridi and Javed Miandad for their outstanding contributions to the field of sports.
