Pakistan’s stalwart batter and former captain, Babar Azam, has called it quits on his stint as the team’s white-ball captain. The news came as a surprise for the fans as the right-handed batter broke the news through a statement shared on his X account. However, the fact that Babar might be counting his last days as the leader of the team was not unknown to anyone. Ever since Pakistan’s horrible crash out of the group stage in the T20 World Cup in June this year, Babar’s flaws as a captain started getting highlighted more. His lean patch with the bat only augmented these criticisms.
As per the statement, Babar informed the PCB last month of his plans to step down as a captain. However, no official statement about it made its way out of the PCB headquarters for the public.
“Dear Fans,
I’m sharing some news with you today. I have decided to resign as captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team, effective as of my notification to the PCB and Team Management last month. It’s been an honour to lead this team, but it’s time for me to step down and focus on my playing role. Captaincy has been a rewarding experience, but it’s added a significant workload. I want to prioritize my performance, enjoy my batting, and spend quality time with my family, which brings me joy.”
The 29-year-old said that he is hoping to focus on his batting by shedding the captaincy burden.
“By stepping down, I will gain clarity moving forward and focus more energy on my game and personal growth. I’m grateful for your unwavering support and belief in me. Your enthusiasm has meant the world to me. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together and excited to continue contributing to the team as a player. Thank you for your love and support.”
Babar Azam was first appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball captain after replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed in May 2020. Soon, he was assigned the captaincy duties in the pure format of the game as well. However, his career as a captain took a turn for the worse during the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. Even though, it was under his captaincy that Pakistan reached the semi-final and final of two consecutive T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022 respectively, many fault his captaincy for the consistent downfall of Pakistan cricket. As a result, he decided to step down as an all-format captain in November 2023, soon after the World Cup concluded.
As it so very often happens with Pakistan cricket, a U-turn was taken on this decision too and the Lahore-born was handed captaincy duties once again after just four months. This time, however, his resignation seems somewhat more ‘permanent’.
It is yet to be seen who will replace him as the next captain. Reports have it that Mohammad Rizwan would likely be handed the duties, though Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi appear as strong contenders for the position too. Pakistan have a red-ball series coming up against England this month, where the team will be led by Shan Masood. They have nearly a month before the start of their next white-ball assignment.
