Pakistan cricketer Babar Azam, who recently arrived in Australia for the Test series, is determined to leave behind the disappointment of the Cricket World Cup 2023. After his underwhelming performance in the white-ball tournament, Babar decided to step down as captain in all three formats of the game. Now, he is focused solely on his batting, with the upcoming Test series being his immediate priority.
During a practice match against the Prime Minister’s XI, Babar did something that caught the attention of social media. On a delivery from Beau Webster, Shan Masood hit the ball towards the non-striker end. Babar attempted to stop the ball with his hands, but it was just out of reach. Cricket Australia took a lighthearted jab at the former Pakistan skipper, tweeting, “Babar Azam keeping himself in the game at the non-striker’s end….” along with a video of the incident.
Since the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023, there have been several changes in Pakistan cricket. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed Wahab Riaz as the new chief selector and brought in Mohammad Hafeez as the team director. Babar was replaced by Shaheen Shah Afridi as the T20I captain, while Shan Masood was named the Test captain. The PCB is yet to finalize the ODI captaincy.
Now in Australia, Babar’s main focus is to regain his form with the bat, relieved of the captaincy responsibilities. His aim is to contribute significantly to the team’s performance in the Test series.
