After Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the One Day International (ODI) World Cup on India in 2023, Babar Azam has stepped down as captain in all three formats for Pakistan. He recently became the captain of the ODI and T20 teams for the second time.
The reason for Babar relinquishing his captaincy after the first stint was cited by the then chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Zakir Ashraf.
Pakistan couldn’t deliver as expected in the ODI World Cup on Indian ground. They won four out of nine matches and lost five. Babar couldn’t provide leadership as expected. He scored 320 runs with an average of 40 in nine matches as captain.
After the failure in the ODI World Cup, Zakir Ashraf proposed to make Babar the captain only for the Test format. However, if he was removed from even one format, Babar made it clear he wouldn’t captain in any format.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Zakir Ashraf said, “I proposed to Babar to continue as captain. I wanted to appoint someone new for the white-ball format. But Babar said if he was removed from one version, he would resign from all.”
Ashraf further stated, “I advised him to play as an ordinary member of the team. It was clear that the pressure of captaincy was challenging for him.”
After Babar’s departure, Shan Masood and Shahid Afridi have been given the responsibility of the Test and T20 teams respectively. Afridi was also removed after just one series. However, Masood remains in charge as the Test captain.
Zakir Ashraf believes Afridi should have been given more time as T20 captain. He also conveyed best wishes to Babar, the new white-ball captain.
