The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) attempted a tough decision to drop Babar Azam for the second of the ongoing Test series against England at home and earned success, eventually ending their 11-match losing streak in the longest format of the game. Now, they have another decision to make regarding the selection of the new captain for the white-ball side.
Babar Azam, a few days ago, resigned as the Pakistan white-ball leader on the back of some of his poor times in the ICC tournaments as the captain and his performance with the bat in hand. The Green Brigade failed to qualify for the semifinal stage of the ODI World Cup 2023 in India.
They made a horrible start in the recent T20 World Cup in the United States of America and the West Indies, with defeats over the co-host and the Rohit Sharma-led side, which eventually saw them getting eliminated from the super eight stages of the event.
The issue with the side is that in the longest format, along with Babar, the Pakistan board also left out two of the premier pacers, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for the second Multan Test, and they are unexpected to return for the third Test in Rawalpindi.
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So, the discussion would be around whether it would be the right decision to hand over the captaincy back to Afridi, who was removed from the position after one T20I series in New Zealand towards the start of the year 2023.
Mohammad Rizwan locked in to replace Babar Azam as new Pakistan captain
In white-ball formats of the game, the wicket-keeper batter of the Green Brigade, Mohammad Rizwan, has emerged to be the clear favorite to lead the side, replacing Babar Azam as they will be touring Australia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. They will discuss the matter with their head coach, Gary Kirstein, and the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi.
“The third Test against England finishes on 28th October, and the squad has to leave for Australia the next day so, the selectors would be announcing the white ball squad by Sunday.” A close source in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) told the PTI.
The wicket-keeper batter has notched up 2088 runs in 74 ODIs at an average of around 40 and a strike rate of nearly 90, shouldering on three centuries and 13 half-centuries with a best score of unbeaten 131 runs. In the shortest format of the game, he has fetched up 3313 runs in 102 games at an average of 48.72 and a strike rate of over 130.
“Rizwan, because of his seniority, his reliability as a player, and because of his experience of leading teams well in domestic cricket and PSL is a front-runner to become white-ball captain.” The source addressed.
Babar Azam left the captaincy role of Pakistan, citing the desire to concentrate on his batting. They are scheduled to be part of nine T20Is and as many as ODI games in the next couple of months before participating in a home tri-series involving the Proteas and the Kiwis at home, followed by the Champions Trophy 2025.
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The source claimed that the decision will be on the selections, and Aaqib Javed, Azhar Ali, and Aleem Dar have spoken to Rizwan in the past and asked if he would be willing to assume the role.
“The selectors are also keen to have some new young players in the squad, so there is every likelihood they might announce different squads for the three tours to give exposure to more players and also rest to seniors.” The source concluded that the Pakistan Cricket Board is expected to announce on October 20.