Babar Azam is back as the Captain Pakistan cricket team
Babar Azam has been re-appointed as the captain of Pakistan men’s cricket team for both the white-ball formats. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made the official announcement on Sunday, March 31, with the decision taken following a “unanimous recommendation from the selection committee.” The 29-year-old stepped down from the captaincy of all three formats soon after Pakistan’s exit from the 2023 ICC men’s ODI World Cup in India last year.
Official Announcement.
“Following unanimous recommendation from the PCB’s selection committee, Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi has appointed Babar Azam as white-ball (ODI and T20I) captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team,” PCB said on X (formerly Twitter). With this announcement it is final that the Test Captaincy will stay with Shan Masood. Babar will lead in white ball cricket. Earlier, various media reports claimed that Babar would agree a return to captaincy only on the condition if he gets to lead across formats.
Shaheen Afridi was replaced
Shaheen Afridi, who took over the reins of the T20Is just a few months ago in November 2023, now has to make way for his former skipper. Shaheen Afridi’s stint as the T20I skipper got off to an ominous start, in the form of a 1-4 loss against New Zealand away from home. Furthermore, the recent 2024 Pakistan Super League campaign has worsened his case and credentials as he led Lahore Qalandars to the bottom place, with only one win to show for in the entire season.
Shaheen Shah Afridi is Upset
It has been reported that Shaheen Afridi wasn’t kept in the loop when PCB was discussing about replacing him as the T20I captain. “Shaheen is rightly upset as being the national T20 captain he expected that even if the board/selectors wanted to remove him they have the decency to also inform him for the reasons behind this and keep him in the loop about everything,” a source was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Upcoming challenges for Babar Azam
The immediate challenge for Babar Azam would be the upcoming 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).Given the scenario in which he stepped down after the ODI World Cup exit last year, all eyes will be on the star batter who needs to shine with the willow and prove himself yet again as a captain.
Babar will try to find glory this time
The results have not been going the Men in Green’s way in all three formats. Thus in his second innings as the captain of the Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team, Babar Azam needs to lead from the front and inspire his side to produce better results in all the upcoming white-ball tournaments and the series. With the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy scheduled to be held in Pakistan, Babar’s reappointment couldn’t have come at a better time to revive the team’s fortunes before it hosts the prestigious ICC tournament on home soil.
Kevin Varchand