Youngsters not coming to stadiums to watch their heroes in action a serious issue: Babar Azam
May 19, 2020
London [UK], May 19 : Pakistan cricket team's white-ball skipper Babar Azam has said that the biggest issue for him when sports resumes during the COVID-19 phase would be youngsters being deprived of watching their heroes in action at stadiums.
As the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, many sports have resumed behind closed doors, and cricket may be played like that in the future amid the crisis.
Moreover, many cricketing bodies are ready to restart the game behind closed doors following strict protocols on health and safety.
"No youngsters attending matches, watching their heroes live in action will be a serious issue for me. I was a ballboy and got the motivation and inspiration by watching the Pakistan and South Africa Test in Lahore from arm's length," ESPNcricinfo quoted Babar as saying.
"I do not see that happening in the very near future," he added.
On May 13, Azam was named as Pakistan ODI captain by the Cricket Board. Right-handed Azam, who has been one of the world's leading batsmen across formats over the last year, replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed as the skipper.
So far, Azam has played 26 Tests, 74 ODIs and 38 T20Is for Pakistan in which he has scored 1,850, 3,359 and 1,471 runs, respectively.
