Babar Azam among 3 Pakistan cricketers conferred with civil awards on the nation's 75th Independence Day

Pakistan cricketers Babar Azam, Bismah Maroof and Masood Jan have been honored with civil awards on the 75th Independence Day of the nation (August 14).

Men's team captain Babar Azam was bestowed with Sitara-e-Pakistan, while blind cricketer Masood Jan earned the Pride of Performance award. Finally, women's team skipper Bismah Maroof received the Tamgha-e-Pakistan award.

They were honored for showing excellence and courage in different fields.

It's worth noting that former West Indian captain and all-rounder Darren Sammy also won the Sitara-e-Pakistan award for his contribution to reviving international cricket.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) congratulated the trio via Twitter, writing:

"PCB CONGRATULATES Masood Jan (blind cricketer), Pakistan men's team captain Babar Azam and Pakistan women's team captain Bismah Maroof at being conferred with civil awards on Pakistan's 75th anniversary."

Maroof, who first became the captain of the women's team in October 2017, recently led them in the Commonwealth Games. However, the team ended up winless, losing to India, Australia and Barbados.

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Babar Azam to lead Pakistan in upcoming ODI series against the Netherlands

The Pakistan captain is currently ranked in top three across formats. (Credits: Getty)

Babar Azam will lead Pakistan in the upcoming three-match ODI series against the Netherlands, starting August 16. The 27-year-old is currently the top-ranked batter in ODI and T20 cricket and is third in Tests.

Having made his ODI debut in 2015, he became the first player in the history of men's ODI cricket to score three consecutive tons on two separate occasions.

The Lahore-born player, who has already scored three ODI centuries this year, also became the fastest to 17 tons in the format and the quickest to reach 1000 runs as captain.

After the Netherlands tour, he will captain Pakistan in the Asia Cup, starting on August 27, in the UAE. The Men in Green will begin their campaign against Rohit Sharma & Co. in Dubai on August 28.