Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan join Harvard B-School. Score a first in cricketing history
After proving their mettle on the field, Pakistani cricketers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are set to make their mark at Harvard Business School. They’ve enrolled in Harvard’s executive education programme on the Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports, making them the first cricketers to attend the prestigious institution.
But it’s not as if Pakistan’s top cricketers will enjoy campus life for an extended period. The executive course is just four days long and costs around $10,000.
Babar Azam is the number one ranked ODI batter and captain of the Pakistan cricket team, and Muhammad Rizwan is the vice-captain of the Pakistan Test cricket team. They will join the programme with their mentor Talha Rehmani, founder-CEO, Saya Corporation, Dawn reported.
“The trio is representing Pakistan and the cricket world among a myriad of global movers and shakers in sports, media, and entertainment,” read the press release by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Babar is already in touch with his professors. “I am a lifelong learner, and I have had detailed chats about this programme with Prof Elberse and Rehmani,” he said.
Professor Anita Elberse, one of the youngest women to achieve tenure at Harvard Business School, will chair the programme.
“We think the other participants will benefit greatly from their experiences as world-class athletes with a strong interest in the business world,” Elberse said.
Rizwan described it as “huge honour… to learn from the best of the best in the world,” Dawn reported.
Perseverance and triumph
The Pakistani duo will join the club of athletes who have previously completed the course such as footballers Kaka, Edwin van der Sar, Gerard Pique, and Oliver Kahn, as well as NBA stars Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul, and Pau Gasol.
The Executive Education programmes at Harvard Kennedy School look at ‘new approaches for driving revenue and success in today’s entertainment environment’.
The programme will be held at Harvard Business School in Boston, from 31 May to 3 June. When it concludes the cricketers will also participate in numerous community activities in the United States.
Expressing his excitement, Babar Azam said that his inspiration is to “connect, explore, listen, learn, grow, and give back to the community worldwide.”
On 28 May, Babar delivered a speech at Harvard as a part of the program and Pakistani social media heaped praises on him for his ‘perseverance’.
He had been criticised earlier for his English, with cricketers like Shoaib Akhtar saying that Babar could not be a brand due to his poor communication skills.
“In a remarkable journey of perseverance and triumph, Babar Azam, once criticized for his lack of fluent English, has defied all odds and secured a speaking engagement at the prestigious Harvard University,” Pakistan Republic, a local news outlet tweeted.
Users were also quick to point out his choice of outfit.
