The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on March 31, 2024, announced that Babar Azam was once again appointed as the white-ball captain of the Pakistan team. Babar had quit Pakistan's captaincy 4 months back after the Men in Green’s disastrous performance in the ICC World Cup 2023.
The PCB had then named Shan Masood as Test captain, while Shaheen Afridi was handed the T20I captaincy. However, Shaheen has been removed from captaincy after leading Pakistan in just one series, a 1-4 T20I series loss in New Zealand.
The decision to reinstate Babar was taken after a unanimous recommendation from the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) selection committee.
"Following unanimous recommendation from the PCB's selection committee, Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi has appointed Babar Azam as white-ball (ODI and T20I) captain of the Pakistan men's cricket team," the PCB said in a media release.
During a recent meeting in Lahore with PCB Chief Naqvi, Babar sought guarantees on his tenure and requested to be named captain of the Test team as well.
However, a trustworthy source within the PCB revealed that Naqvi reaffirmed the board's stance, stating that while Babar would be given a good run in white-ball forms, a decision on Test captaincy would be taken later.
"Naqvi made it clear to Babar that PCB will decide on the Test captaincy after appointing the red ball foreign coach and Pakistan has no Test commitments until after the World Cup," the source added.
Under Babar’s captaincy, Pakistan reached the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup and the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup. The upcoming 2024 edition will begin in June and will be played in the USA and the West Indies.
Members of the selection panel-Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafiq, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Razzaq, and Bilal Afzal, met with Shaheen Afridi in the training camp in Kakul on Saturday evening after Babar’s reappointment was confirmed.
They had a lengthy chat with the pacer and told him to focus on his bowling and felt it was better if a batter led the white ball teams. Shaheen accepted the change and didn't protest much but pointed out that it was unfair on him to be judged on just one series.
As per sources, Shaheen's inability to effectively lead the Lahore Qalandars in the recent Pakistan Super League (PSL 2024), resulting in their last-place finish, coupled with his inconsistent performance, were key factors influencing the decision to replace him.
"The PCB Chairman had made it clear to the selectors that they must decide who should be the captain and also said they would be answerable for the performances of the national team in the future,” the source added.
(PTI inputs)
