New Delhi : Something or the other keeps happening in Pakistani cricket after some time. Sometimes coaches, sometimes selectors and players are continuously resigning from their posts. In the last few years, Pakistan cricket has been stuck in such a hole that the more desperate they are to get out of it, the bigger the hole they are digging.
On Tuesday night, Babar Azam decided to create a blast which very few people would have imagined. For the second time in less than 12 months, Babar left the captaincy of the Pakistan team. He resigned from all three formats in November 2023. After that he was again made the captain of ODI and T20.
Dear Fans,
I'm sharing some news with you today. I have decided to resign as captain of the Pakistan men's cricket team, effective as of my notification to the PCB and Team Management last month.
It's been an honor to lead this team, but it's time for me to step down and focus…
— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) October 1, 2024
He wrote on his official social media account X, Dear fans, I am sharing some news with you today. As per the notification given to the PCB and team management last month, I have decided to resign from the post of captain of Pakistan men's cricket team.
It has been an honor for me to lead this team, but now the time has come for me to step down and focus on my playing role. Captaincy has been a wonderful experience, but it has also increased the workload. I want to give priority to my performance, enjoy my batting and spend quality time with my family, which makes me happy.
He has left the captaincy of both ODI and T20 posts. Pakistan's test cricket is also not in good condition. Since taking over the captaincy from Babar last year, Shan Masood has faced defeat in all five Tests. Pakistan has also faced defeat in the home Test series against Bangladesh. But at present, Pakistan is in a dilemma regarding the appointment of a new captain in ODI and T20.
PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi had shown confidence in Babar and re-appointed him as captain earlier this year. But Babar came under severe criticism after Pakistan failed to progress beyond the group stage in the Men's T20 World Cup.
Pakistan does not have many options to work with. Nor do they have enough time as their ODI series in Australia starts from 4th November and the T20 series starts from 14th November. Among the current players, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Rizwan are possible options whom Pakistan can choose to captain the national team in the shorter formats.
Shaheen replaced Babar as T20I captain after tasting success with Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) last year. But after the only series loss to New Zealand, Shaheen was removed from his captaincy. Then Babar was called back and took charge.
Leave a comment