Babar Hayat is a right-handed batter who made his T20I debut for Hong Kong against Nepal at the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, before making his ODI debut against Afghanistan in May that year. He was part of Hong Kong's squads for both the 2014 and 2016 World Twenty20 tournaments, and played in the famous 2014 victory over hosts Bangladesh, one of the biggest upsets in Hong Kong's international history. Hayat was also part of the side that secured Hong Kong's qualification for the 2014 tournament, giving him an early taste of major international cricket.
He quickly developed into one of Hong Kong's most accomplished batters. In November 2015, Hayat and Mark Chapman put together an unbeaten 127-run partnership against Oman, then the highest partnership for any wicket in Hong Kong's T20I history and the highest third-wicket stand by an Associate side. A few months later, he produced the defining innings of his T20I career, smashing 122 off 60 balls against Oman in the 2016 Asia Cup Qualifier. It was Hong Kong's first T20I century and, at the time, the highest individual score by a Hong Kong batter in the format.
Hayat continued to make his mark across formats. In 2016, he scored an unbeaten 82 against Papua New Guinea to help Hong Kong seal a 2-1 ODI series victory, while in 2017 he shared a 197-run third-wicket partnership with Anshuman Rath against the Netherlands, a Hong Kong List A record at the time. Later that year, Hayat became the first Hong Kong batter to score a first-class double-century, making an unbeaten 214 against Papua New Guinea in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
He was also part of Hong Kong's historic 2018 Asia Cup campaign, which saw them face India and Pakistan after winning the qualifying tournament. Hayat had been named captain for the Asia Cup Qualifier before stepping down ahead of the tournament, with Anshuman Rath taking over. He subsequently featured in Hong Kong's squad for the Asia Cup and was their leading run-scorer at the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
Hayat continued to produce eye-catching performances in 2026. During the Asian Games Men's T20I Qualifier, he struck an unbeaten 93 off 48 balls against Bahrain before smashing 63 not out from just 19 balls against Oman. He then made 60 off 31 balls against Namibia in the T20I tri-series in June. In September, he added another notable List A innings with 117 against Nepal in the ACC Men's Premier Cup, underlining the experience and big-match pedigree he has brought to Hong Kong's batting lineup over more than a decade.
