Pakistan’s limited-overs captain Babar Azam has been the Men in Green’s most-prolific batsman, in the recent past, which has led to an increase in his popularity.

According to a report by Google, their search engine reported an increase of 183 per cent in queries related to Babar Azam in Pakistan.   

There was 1.5x growth in ‘sports’ searches while for cricket, alone, the increase was at 1.6x. The Pakistan Super League (PSL) also saw an increase of 55 per cent.

“From personalities to teams, Pakistanis are curious about both their favorite sports and sportspeople,” the report said. “183 per cent increase in ‘Babar Azam’ queries, making him one of the fast-growing sports celebrities searched for in 2019.”

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Interestingly, people are also keen on watching former wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif’s best catches.

“149 per cent increase in searches for ex-Pakistani wicketkeeper “Rashid Latif’s best catches’,” the report added.

Alarmingly, there has been a 60 per cent decline since the start of 2020 in top trending sports searches of 2019, due to novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

“The world of live sports has come to a complete standstill. Apart from highlights of old matches and sports-driven shows, there is no new content on the horizon. This has led to a noticeable drop in interest, as consumers grapple with the current crisis and realign their individual priorities,” the report concluded.