Star cricketer and National Team Capitan Babar Azam to perform Hajj this year.
According to the reports, Babar would fly to Saudi Arabia around the second week of June. Credible sources, however, reported that other cricketers, including Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Faheem Ashraf, and Fakhar Zaman, will also be performing the Hajj this year.
Also Read: Pakistan can win World Cup under Babar Azam Captaincy, says Mickey Arthur
Inzamam-ul-Haq, a former Test cricketer for Pakistan, will also complete the Hajj with his wife.
According to Mufti Abdul Shakoor, the Minister for Religious Affairs, 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims will perform the Hajj this year.
Ramadan saw the performance of Umrah by Babar, Iftikhar, Faheem, and Haris Rauf, as well as other national cricket players.
Remember that the Pakistan cricket team has no international assignment till late July, the time they are scheduled to tour Sri Lanka for two-match Test series. The ICC Test Championship matches might be converted into ODIs in case Sri Lanka qualifies for World Cup.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) are already in discussion to play ODI matches ahead of the ICC World Cup, due this year in India.
There is also uncertainty around Pakistan’s participation in the Asia Cup, which the PCB is supposed to host in September this year.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has refused to send their team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup and is keen on ensuring that the event is held at a neutral venue. However, the PCB is not keen on hosting the event outside Pakistan since it would affect its efforts with regard to the return of international cricket in the country.
The BCCI is also unlikely to accept the hybrid model proposed by the PCB, which would have given India the option to play their matches at a neutral venue.
