After a disappointing exit from the Cricket World Cup, the focus now shifts to the future of Babar Azam’s captaincy for the Pakistan cricket team. There have been reports suggesting that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reconsidering Babar Azam’s role as captain. Former PCB chief Ramiz Raja recently revealed that he had a meeting with Babar Azam before the match against England in Kolkata, and the young batsman seemed to be in a low mood.
Raja stated, “I met Babar yesterday. He was very down. The players are under immense media scrutiny. Things can be tough and unforgiving. I am not sure if he wants to lead Pakistan. I believe he will make a decision once he returns to Pakistan. It’s not just about Babar Azam leading the team, but also about how the team wants to be led. What about the system? How do they approach white-ball cricket? What are the weaknesses that make them irrelevant at times?” Raja expressed his concerns during an interview with Star Sports.
According to news agency PTI, Babar Azam has been advised by his teammates not to resign from his captaincy position. Despite this, Babar has left the final decision in the hands of the PCB, led by Zaka Ashraf. Pakistan finished fifth in the ten-team table, failing to qualify for the semi-finals. This has led to criticism from former players who are calling for a change in leadership.
A PCB source informed PTI, “Babar has already spoken to his teammates, and most of them have advised him against stepping down. He will announce his course of action once he returns home with the team after failing to reach the World Cup semi-finals in India. But he will not resign himself.” Babar enjoys a strong support within the team, with players like Imam ul Haq, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf considered close to him.
Last year, when there were rumors about removing Babar from the Test captaincy, players took to social media to show their support with the hashtag “Sochna Bhi Mana Hai” (Don’t even harbor such thoughts). With challenging tours to Australia and New Zealand on the horizon, Babar aims to continue as the captain across all formats.
A reliable source close to Babar stated, “He will most likely leave the decision of whether he should remain captain or not to the Pakistan Cricket Board, headed by Zaka Ashraf.” Babar was appointed as the white-ball captain in late 2019 after Pakistan’s unsuccessful campaign in the World Cup in England. He later took over the Test captaincy in 2021 from Azhar Ali.
Although Babar has achieved success in T20 Internationals, leading his team to the finals of the Asia Cup T20 and the T20 World Cup last year, his performance in Tests and ODIs has been less impressive. The upcoming tours will be crucial for Babar’s captaincy, and the PCB will have to make a decision regarding his future based on the team’s overall performance.
Topics mentioned in this article: Babar Azam, Pakistan Cricket Board, Cricket World Cup, Ramiz Raja, Zaka Ashraf, Pakistan cricket team
