Babar Azam will be leading Pakistan in his third consecutive T20 World Cup which will be held in the USA and West Indies in June this year. This comes after the 29-year-old batsman has recently been reappointed as the white-ball captain of the Pakistan men's cricket team.

This decision to reinstall Azam as captain of the T20 team occurred after he stood down from the position in November, resulting in Shaheen Shah Afridi's appointment.  But Shaheen was removed from the post after Pakistan’s 1-4 drubbing in T20Is in New Zealand.

The PCB's selection committee unanimously recommended Azam's reinstatement, which was granted by Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman.

Pakistan, who drew a T20I series 2-2 against an inexperienced New Zealand, will face Ireland and England in the shortest format of the game in the coming weeks as they prepare for the World Cup.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has thrown Babar Azam a challenge in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. Ali has challenged Babar to hit three consecutive sixes straight down the ground against top-tier teams. If Azam succeeds, Ali has vowed to delete his YouTube channel.

"If Babar Azam hits three straight sixes against top teams, not against the likes of the USA or Ireland, but against top teams, I will shut down my YouTube channel. If he accepts this challenge, he should say that he accepts it. And if he can't hit those sixes in the World Cup, then he shouldn't open the batting," said Ali in a video.

Babar Azam has played 114 T20Is, scoring 3823 runs with 3 centuries and 34 fifties to his name. His highest score is 122 and his strike rate is 129.41.