It was a week ago when the former Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, stepped down from his captaincy position for the two white-ball formats for the second time in less than a year, as he desires to decrease his workload and pay more attention and focus on his batting. It won’t be long before the board needs to make a final call.
Babar notified the Pakistan board about the decision in interest to put more priority on his batting besides spending some quality time with his family. The Green Brigade has a tour of Australia in the first week of November, before which they need to announce the new captain of the ODI and T20 sides.
The last few months haven’t been easy for the poster boy of Pakistan cricket, as they failed to reach the semi-final stage of the 2023 ODI World Cup in India and failed to qualify for the Super-eight stage of the recent Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).
Also Read: Sanju Samson To Miss 1st Round Of Ranji Trophy 2024-25; Former RCB Batter To Lead
“I have decided to resign as captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team. It’s been an honor 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.” The veteran stated in a post on the social media platform.
Later on the next morning, the PCB released a statement where they accepted the resignation of the batter besides expecting the veteran to play more of a decisive role towards the success of the team in the shorter formats.
The Lahore-born put curtains down on his leadership at the start of the year when Shaheen Shah Afridi was made the new T20I captain. But, once the left-arm pacer lost his first series with a 4-1 margin in New Zealand, the board brought back Babar for the role just four months later.
Pakistan chairman Mohsin Naqvi addressed replacements of Babar Azam
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, was asked to put his view on the whole development, to which he addressed that the selection committee would take their time and make a long-term decision that would help their side to grow more in the future.
“I have told them to decide after careful consideration because the captain’s position is important. They said they were okay with the current set-up of players so I told them ‘fine, it is your call.” Naqvi noted.
The reports informed that the wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan could be in line for becoming the new captain of the ODI and T20I side of the Pakistan team, as they have less than six months before hosting the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, which, for now, is going to take place in that country.
However, according to Naqvi, the committee has added that the captain could be one of the fresh blood along with the head coach, Gary Kirsten, as they can work for a longer period in the future.
Also Read: Ex-BCCI Selector Wants India To Avoid Washington Sundar; Advices Name Of This Spin All-rounder
Pakistan will be touring Australia, followed by the Zimbabwe and South Africa trip before they head back home and host another tri-series consisting of the Proteas and New Zealand as preparation for the CT2025 event.
Even 12 months later, they will have another ICC tournament in the form of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, as Shan Masood is handling the red-ball side of the Green Brigade in a partnership with head coach Jason Gillespie.