Pakistan skipper Babar Azam shared an adorable moment with a young boy during his team’s T20 World Cup 2024 fixtures against India and Canada at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York.
The Men in Green opened their T20 World Cup campaign in Dallas, before moving to New York for their next two matches against India and Canada. That is where the kid caught Babar's attention.
Speaking to presenter Sanjana Ganeshan in an interview for ICC, Babar revealed that he first met the boy during the match against India. He spotted him crying after the national anthem and tried to console him.
"I met this kid during the India vs Pakistan match. After the anthem, he came to me and started crying. I got worried. I asked if anyone said anything to him. Then he said he is a fan," Babar said.
The Pakistan captain further stated that the boy did the same thing during the match against Canada.
"He did the same thing today (against Canada). He was standing in the line and crying. We all have experienced this. When you meet a star, the excitement is at a different level."
When enquired about his gesture of gifting gloves to the kid, Babar replied: "I thought if he is such a big fan then I should also have some responsibility to give him something as a gift. Something memorable. I had my gloves in my hands. I gave him that. He got very excited and started crying even more. I told him not to worry. Then, while crying, he requested me to sign it."
Pakistan on Tuesday (June 11) recorded their first win in the ongoing T20 World Cup as they defeated Canada by seven wickets.
The game against Canada was a must-win tie for the Babar Azam-led side as they lost to USA and India in their first two Group A matches.
Chasing a small target of 107, the 2009 champions rode on Mohammad Rizwan's run-a-ball unbeaten 53 and Babar's 33 to get over the line with 15 deliveries to spare.
“Good for us. We needed this win. Credit to team. We started well and took wickets with the new ball. We had NRR on the back of the mind. The first six overs are very crucial here. You assess after 6 overs. Then we tried to take on the spinners. We are going to go with the same mindset. The conditions at Florida should be better from here as well. I got out to the same shot. So, I was angry. I still try my level best,” Babar said at the post-match presentation.
