Maaz Sadaqat: “It will be the best day of my life when I play with Babar Azam in [the] Pakistan team”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan rising star Maaz Sadaqat has revealed that it is his dream to bat alongside Babar Azam, saying it would be the “best day of my life.”
Sadaqat has emerged as one of Pakistan’s most exciting young prospects in recent times with his performances drawing widespread attention.
During the 2025 Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament, the 20-year-old represented the Pakistan Shaheens and finished as the leading run-scorer with 258 runs in five matches, which included two fifties, at an average of 129 and a strike-rate of 177.93.
He also impressed with the ball, finishing as the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker with seven wickets at an average of 7.42 and an economy rate of 4.33.
On the domestic circuit, Sadaqat continued his fine form in the President’s Cup Grade-I (One-Day) competition, where he was the fifth-highest run-scorer, piling up 374 runs in seven games for Oil & Gas Development Company Limited, which included two centuries and two fifties, at an average of 62.33.
Additionally, he chipped in with four wickets at an average of 33, further underlining his value as a promising all-rounder.
Most recently, Sadaqat turned out for Oil & Gas Development Company Limited in the President’s Trophy Grade-I tournament, where he registered scores of 25 and 13 in his only match.
“It will be the best day of my life when I play with Babar Azam in [the] Pakistan team,” the Peshawar native was quoted as saying by Khel Shel on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam is currently in action in the 2026 T20 World Cup, where he has amassed 61 runs in two games at an average of 30.50 and a strike-rate of 122.
Pakistan kickstarted their campaign with back-to-back wins over the Netherlands and United States of America.
Next up for them will be a clash against India on February 15 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for 2026 T20 World Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq