T20 World Cup 2024: Babar Azam, Azam Khan engage in banter during practice session

Pakistan are prepping up for the first game of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. They will take on the hosts, United States of America in Match 11 on June 6. Ahead of the game, the Men in Green were indulged in intense practice sessions and players seemed to be enjoying themselves. Captain Babar Azam who is known to call his teammates by nicknames and keep the environment light-hearted, came up with a nickname for Azam Khan.

In sports, the camaraderie between the players cannot be gauged by an outsider and the connections are always personal and deep. Having said that, when Azam Khan failed to accomplish a practice drill, Babar playfully uttered ‘Genda (Hippo)’ to keep the atmosphere cheerful and highlighting the brotherly connection within the players that is beyond the set patterns of the societal norms of conduct.

Here’s the video of Babar pulling Azam Khan’s leg:

Babar keeping it light amidst growing speculations

The Pakistan skipper has been around the team for quite some time now. It is not the first time he has called his players aliases. Previously, he had addressed Saim Ayub as ‘Chota Don’ and to add the whole team addresses Iftikhar Ahmed as ‘Chacha.’ When there were rumours of a rift between Babar and Shaheen Afridi, the former revealed the relationship he shares with the pacer and the team.

“Firstly, whenever such things come to my attention, they always seem to come from your [Media] side. Maybe you guys know more than us, but Alhamdulillah, there's nothing like that. I'm here to clarify it for you and the fans. Our bond is not new; it's a very old bond. Whatever the situation, we try to stay together and support each other. The whole team has one aim, and that is to serve Pakistan,” Babar has said ahead of World Cup 2023.

“Today I'm sitting here, tomorrow someone else will be here, but the aim remains the same which is to glorify the name of Pakistan and to win matches for Pakistan. Our focus is on these things rather than on individuals or what is happening around us or what might happen in the future. Alhamdulillah, such negative thoughts are far from this team, and everything is quite positive,” he added.