ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — In what scientists are calling “a miracle of physics” and cricket fans are calling “finally some good news,” a man claiming to be a time traveller from the year 2041 arrived at the gates of Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, holding a glowing bat and wearing a mint-condition 2038 Pakistan World Cup jersey with “Babar 56*” stitched in gold thread.
“I come bearing news,” the traveller announced, stepping down from a vehicle that looked suspiciously like a rickshaw with Wi-Fi. “Babar Azam’s era is not over. In fact, it’s just getting started.”
Identifying himself as Fan Unit #1994, the traveller said he had returned from a future where Babar Azam is universally recognized as one of the greatest to ever play the game, known not just for his stats but for the grace with which he made cover drives feel like a love song and forward defense look like art.
“I know things look rough right now,” he said, addressing a small crowd of disheartened cricket fans who had gathered after mistaking his arrival for a PSL player unveiling. “You’re doubting the King. The media’s turned. But you’re all wrong. I’ve seen it. He’s coming.”
When skeptics laughed, the traveller calmly pulled out what appeared to be a futuristic version of a flash drive, shaped like a mini cricket stump and projected a 3D hologram of Babar Azam scoring an unbeaten 147 in the 2036 Champions Trophy final, complete with Urdu commentary and a slow-motion montage of back-foot punches that made multiple journalists tear up on the spot.
“By 2030, Even Kohli Fans Start Quoting Him”
According to the traveller, Babar’s timeline includes:
A legendary run in the 2027 World Cup where he averages 76.4
A stint as player-coach for a reformed Karachi Kings team that actually wins something
A shocking Test double century at Lord’s where he reverse-sweeps Jimmy Anderson into retirement
And a global following so strong that “Even New Zealanders stop calling him ‘Bubber’”
Perhaps most surprisingly, he claimed Babar eventually writes a bestselling memoir titled “Silence the Doubt: My Journey Through Dot Balls and Destiny”, later adapted into a Netflix biopic starring a young Pakistani actor who trained for eight months just to replicate Babar’s backlift.
“He Never Played for Trends. He Played for Time.”
Standing under the stadium floodlights as they blinked on for a U-19 practice match, the traveller grew philosophical.
“You judged him by the moment. We remembered him by the legacy. You counted his dot balls. We counted the hearts he didn’t break when he played that straight drive.”
Fans around him listened in stunned silence, slowly lowering their Babar-slander group chats and whispering apologies to their screensavers. One man, who had earlier called him “a decent No. 4 at best,” was later seen softly whispering “King stay King” while watching old highlights on mute.
The traveller then entered what appeared to be a floating rickshaw labeled “Time XI Express” and was last seen heading in the direction of Rawalpindi, possibly to intercept a teenager attempting to say “Babar is mid” on TikTok.
At press time, fans across Pakistan were seen trying to remember their Babar fan account instagram passwords, retweeting 2021 fan edits, and quietly muttering, “Maybe he just needs one big knock.”