Only after being assured that he might eventually reclaim the captaincy in all three formats did Babar Azam allegedly agree to return as Pakistan's Test captain.

After Pakistan only won four of their 16 Test matches under Shan Masood's leadership, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently reappointed Babar as Test captain.

Two PCB selectors met Babar Azam, as per Telecom Asia Sport, and proposed that he take the reins once again as Pakistan Test captain. However, the report stated that Pakistan’s premier batter accepted the offer only on the condition that he would also be considered for the ODI and T20I captaincy.

“Two selectors met Babar before the announcement of the Test captain on July 5, as they had no option other than Babar for red-ball captaincy, and Babar accepted the role on the condition of getting the captaincy in the other two formats as well," the Telecom Asia Sport report quoted a PCB source as saying.

The selectors have reportedly agreed to Babar Azam’s demand in principle. However, they have made it clear to Babar that for him to become Pakistan’s all-format captain once again, he would need to deliver positive results in the Test series against the West Indies and England.

“Babar had always wanted to be the sole captain of Pakistan in all three formats, and when he put that condition, the selectors told him that if the team does well in the West Indies and England over five Tests, then he will get the all-format captaincy," the quoted source added.

Notably, Babar Azam was sacked as the Pakistan captain two years ago in ODIs after a poor outing in the ICC World Cup 2023. He subsequently stepped down as Test captain as well, despite a much better record in the format.

Shan Masood became the Pakistan Test captain in December 2023, but Pakistan suffered poor results under his leadership, including a first-ever Test series defeat to Bangladesh.