Babar Azam, on October 1, made a surprising announcement on his social media handles, as he revealed that he resigned from the Pakistan team white-ball captaincy with immediate effect. Reports have stated that white-ball coach Gary Kirsten’s vision for the future is the reason why Babar Azam resigned.
Pakistan has not won a major tournament since Babar became captain in 2019. Pakistan lost in the semi-final of the 2021 T20 World Cup and the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup, while lost the final of the 2022 Asia Cup as well under Baabar Azam.
Last year, the Men in Green were ousted from the Asia Cup Super 4 stage after losing by two wickets against Sri Lanka. They were unable to proceed to the knockout round of the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. Embarrassingly, Pakistan had lost to Afghanistan for the first time in international cricket during
Following the ODI World Cup, the 29-year-old stepped down as skipper in all forms. Shaheen Shah Afridi took over as T20I captain but was replaced after a 4-1 series defeat to New Zealand.
Babar was then reinstalled as the white-ball captain, while Shan Masood remained as the Test captain.
Pakistan then won against Ireland 2-1, losing to them for the first time in T20Is. However, England hammered them in the 4-T20I series at home, and then under Babar’s captaincy, Pakistan lost to the USA for the first time in T20Is.
Pakistan failed to qualify for the Super 8s round after losing to India, after failing to chase 119 runs.
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…
— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) October 1, 2024
Gary Kirsten the reason behind Babar Azam being sacked from Pakistan’s captaincy
Babar Azam announced his decision to quit as Pakistan captain on social media on Tuesday just before midnight. This sent shockwaves across the Pakistan cricket community and people got behind in finding the real reason for his decision.
As per the Pakistan Cricket site, white-ball coach Gary Kirsten wanted Babar Azam to continue as ODI captain, but wanted someone new as T20I skipper, especially after the T20 World Cup debacle. The report added that there was a communication gap between Babar and the Pakistan Cricket Board, and he was not consulted on key decisions after the World Cup.
“During a meeting in July, Kirsten presented his T20 World Cup report and discussed captaincy changes with Babar Azam. Despite Kirsten’s continued efforts to persuade Babar to lead the ODI team, the batter was not convinced due to feelings of distance from the players and a sense of undervaluation.
Sources indicate that after the World Cup, there was a lack of communication between Babar Azam and the cricket board. The cricketer was not involved in any consultation processes during this time. Before announcing his resignation, Babar informed a senior board official of his decision,” reported Cricket Pakistan.
Mohammad Rizwan, a wicketkeeper and batsman, has emerged as a top candidate to take over as captain of the white-ball side. According to the report, team selection conversations with Rizwan have already begun. Kirsten’s long-term goal for the Pakistan cricket team involves selecting a new T20 skipper.
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