Babar Azam has been appointed as the white-ball (ODI and T20I) captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team, replacing Shaheen Shah Afridi. Afridi’s one-series stint as T20I captain comes to an end as Babar Azam takes over the leadership role.
Babar Azam has been reinstated as the captain of the Pakistan side in white-ball cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Sunday. This decision marks the end of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s brief tenure as the T20I captain.
The PCB’s selection committee unanimously recommended Babar Azam’s appointment as the white-ball captain. This move comes after Babar had reluctantly stepped down as captain following the PCB’s decision to name a replacement in November, which led to Afridi’s appointment.
For Babar, this decision represents a significant moment of vindication after the manner of his ouster following Pakistan’s indifferent performance in the World Cup. His removal as captain was presented as a fait accompli by former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf, leading Babar to resign from the captaincy. However, the PCB’s decision to turn back to Babar just four months later places him in a position of strength.
Babar had certain preconditions before accepting the captaincy once more. He sought guarantees that he would not be removed again on a whim after the T20I World Cup in June and asked for greater control in matters of selection.
The PCB’s decision to appoint Afridi as captain appears to have been short-lived, with doubts arising over his leadership abilities following Pakistan’s T20I series loss against New Zealand and Lahore Qalandars’ poor performance in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Afridi, who is 23 years old, was seen as someone who could learn on the job and lead the team for an extended period.
Babar’s first assignment as captain will be a five-match T20I home series against New Zealand next month, where he will look to make an impact and lead Pakistan to success.
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