Babar Azam was reappointed as Pakistan captain, replacing Shaheen Afridi after NZ series loss.
Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim has said that not only he was surprised, but the entire Pakistan was surprised when Babar Azam was reappointed as captain of the Pakistan white-ball team.
Babar Azam had to stand down as captain of Pakistan across formats after the Men in Green’s poor performance in the 2023 ICC World Cup. Shaheen Afridi was named the new T20I captain, while Shan Masood was appointed as Test captain.
However, after only six months, the PCB handed over the captaincy to Babar ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
However, Pakistan failed to impress at the T20 World Cup, and even Babar was disappointed. Imad Wasim, a member of the squad, claimed that the entire team was startled to see Babar return as captain.
"Yes, I was surprised. What can I say, it’s ultimately the selector’s call. Whatever they thought was the best option, they picked and they picked the team [accordingly]. Everybody in Pakistan was surprised, not just me. So, I can’t say no that I was not surprised," Imad Wasim said in an interview.
Imad also spoke about Pakistan’s poor outing in the T20 World Cup 2024, where they lost to the USA and India and failed to qualify for the Super 8s round.
Commenting on his side's poor T20 World Cup campaign, he said, "Yeah, our performance wasn't up to the mark, to be honest, and we have to accept that, including myself. So yeah, but it is what it is. I think we had a good side, but it didn't click. It can happen in any format, especially T20. But yeah, it was disappointing. I was really disappointed. It took me a long time to get over it."
Meanwhile, Babar Azam was snubbed by PCB as he was not named as one of the captains in the ongoing Champions one-day Cup tournament. According to reports, the batter's leadership has come under scrutiny, and he is expected to be replaced as Pakistan's white-ball captain.
According to reports, a new Pakistan skipper will be named for the team's forthcoming tour of Australia. According to reports, white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten met with PCB authorities in July. Mohammad Rizwan is expected to succeed Babar as white-ball captain and eventually captain of all three formats.