Babar Azam giving his Man of the Match award to Khushdil Shah has won netizens' hearts all over again

Shah turned the match around in the first ODI of a three-part series against West Indies and Azam appreciated it.

09 Jun, 2022

Babar Azam has once again set the bar pretty high for a cricket captain by displaying one of the highest forms of sportsmanship — making sure his teammate Khushdil Shah gets credit for his match-winning performance.

On Thursday, Shah stepped into a sinking boat of a match against the West Indies and turned the opening ODI of the three-match series around. Having started the over needing 44 off 24, Shah’s hitting saw them end it needing 24 off 18. His 23-ball 41 not out overshadowed all the other players' performances.

This was not lost on Azam, who, when awarded the Man of the Match prize, decided to hand it over to Shah, someone he thought was more deserving.

ESPN posted the moment on Twitter, praising the captain.

Shah thanked God for the success in the first ODI and credited the "great team work". He tagged Azam and appreciated him for keeping the foundation strong as it is what enabled the win. "Insha Allah Pakistan will keep performing wonderfully in the next matches as well," he tweeted.

Player Shadab Khan also took a moment to appreciate both players who stood out. Addressing the captain he said, "I pray that you always keep scoring centuries like this and stay young, that Khushdil keeps hitting sixers and we keep improving in our efforts."

Azam was appreciated by netizens for this gesture. They hailed him as the "best captain in the world" who's going around "winning hearts". Twitter users also felt like Shah really deserved the title of the player of the match.

People really appreciated the gesture.

The good news only keeps getting better — Azam is also the fastest captain to reach 1,000 runs in men's ODI.

We love seeing good sportsmanship and players supporting each other.

Comments

NYS Jun 09, 2022 03:44pm

However , it was first ODI between WI vs Pak why ESPN captioned POTM surprise... And the one and only Babar Azam win heart twicly

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Taj Ahmad Jun 09, 2022 03:47pm

Great jester by Babar Azam giving his man of the match award to K. Shah who finished game in last over by hitting couple of sixes in the last two overs of the game to win first ODI against WI.

Syed Hasni Jun 09, 2022 03:56pm

I remember Abdul Qadir doing this to Imran Khan in world Cup, this kind of gestures are not appreciated and gives an impression that you are better Judge than the jury at the same time, Player was not good enough to win the award on his own.

Tadka Jun 09, 2022 04:34pm

Well whoever took the first decision

Nasir S. Jun 09, 2022 04:36pm

Not sure if what he did was right. He was man of match. Should have praised his colleague but giving it away meant the committee deciding had made a mistake?

BeTolerant Jun 09, 2022 05:14pm

Very nice! If I am not mistaken, I have not seen any captain do this before. Another feather in his cap. Humble as ever and a wonderful captain! In fact thia whole group is the most modest bunch of cricketers I have seen in Pakistan cricket. Keep it up!

Javed Jun 09, 2022 06:03pm

Babar should not have done that, it’s absolutely not professional at all. Khushdil was not named man of the match and Babar giving his man of the match award to him will make him feel like a failure and other players will point fingers at him.

Factsmatter Jun 09, 2022 06:05pm

Great gesture. Mark of a great person.

Saad Muzaffar Jun 09, 2022 06:19pm

We too must learn and act like our Captain Babar

T-man Jun 09, 2022 07:25pm

Imran Khan can learn a thing or two from Babar.

Abdul Ahad Jun 09, 2022 07:28pm

This is what we call a a captain! Great job Babar Azam.

Anonymouseee Jun 09, 2022 09:01pm

What an example set by Babar Azam. Not only is he the best batsman in the world, but also has a heart of pure gold.

Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Jun 09, 2022 09:23pm

Great move and wonderful news.