The Pakistan cricket team’s batsman Babar Azam announced on Tuesday that he would be leaving his position as captain.
Babar announced his resignation as the Pakistan men’s cricket team captain in a post on X. The resignation took effect last month, as he notified the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) and Team Management.
“It’s time for me to step down and concentrate on my playing role; it’s been an honor to lead this team.”
Although he claimed it had been a “rewarding experience,” being captain came with a “significant workload.”
“I want to put my performance first, enjoy my batting, and do what makes me happy—spend time with my family.
“By stepping down, I will be able to move forward with greater clarity and devote more of my energy to improving myself and my game,” he stated.
Azam continued by expressing his gratitude for everyone’s enduring belief in him and support.
“Your excitement has been incredibly helpful to me. I’m happy with the progress we’ve made as a team and want to keep playing for the team.
Babar had returned to the captaincy of the men’s cricket team in March after the PCB declared that he will lead the Green Shirts in ODIs and T20s as part of a “strategic move”.
Prior to leading the Test and ODI teams in 2020, Babar was appointed captain of the T20 team in 2019.
Babar left his position in November of last year following Pakistan’s poor performance in both the 50-over World Cup and the Asia Cup. He had been replaced as the T20 captain by Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Shan Masood had taken over as the team’s Test captain.
Dawn was informed by reliable sources that Babar had given the PCB strict guidelines before resuming his position. According to sources, Babar desired to be in charge for at least two years as captain and had shown a desire for absolute power. Furthermore, the right-hander has asked that the PCB absolve him of responsibility for the Pakistani team’s T20 World Cup performance.
It has been almost five years since he was ranked outside the top ten by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for Test batsmen.
Having gone through a unique difficult period in the format, the former captain is currently ranked eleventh.
After scoring an undefeated 102 in a drawn Test match against Sri Lanka, the batter broke into the top 10 in December 2019.
The former captain fell to the tenth spot in the rankings twice during this period, once in 2021 following his inability to score more than two runs against Zimbabwe and again during the first Test match against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi earlier this month.
The highest place Babar held during this time was second during England’s 2022 tour of Pakistan, a series the visitors won handily.
Following a run of appalling performances by the national teams in both Test and limited-over formats, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi stated last month that choices pertaining to embattled captains Babar and Shan would be decided upon later this month through meetings with key stakeholders.
Shan, the red-ball captain, and Babar, the white-ball captain, took a lot of heat for Pakistan’s upsetting performances in the last few months in international cricket. Earlier this year, a Babar-led team lost badly in the opening round of the T20 World Cup in the US and the West Indies. In the five-day format, Bangladesh humiliated and stunned Pakistan with a 2-0 sweep at home after the Shan-skippered team lost their 3-0 series against Australia.
A severe examination of the team makeup and the performance of both captains, who have been found wanting on multiple critical occasions, have been called for as a result of this terrifying series of disasters by all interested parties.
Unverified rumors surfaced that Babar and Shan were scheduled to be fired prior to Pakistan’s next overseas deployment. Mohammad Rizwan, a batter and wicketkeeper, was allegedly being considered for captaincy across all formats.
Even though Shan lost his first five Test matches as captain, he will still be leading Pakistan in the forthcoming series against England.
