ISLAMABAD: Pakistan cricketer Babar Azam resumed his role as captain of the men’s cricket team on Sunday, following the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) announcement that he would lead the team in ODIs and T20s.
The PCB, in a statement on social media platform X, declared, “Babar Azam appointed as white-ball captain,” attributing the decision to a “unanimous recommendation” from the PCB’s selection committee and its chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
A video clip shared by the PCB showed a meeting between Babar and Naqvi.
Babar initially took on the T20 captaincy in 2019, before also leading the Test and ODI teams in 2020.
He relinquished the position in November last year, following Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the Asia Cup and the 50-over World Cup.
Shaheen Shah Afridi assumed the T20 captaincy, while Shan Masood became the Test skipper during Babar’s absence.
The decision to reinstate Babar was reached after deliberations by the national selection committee, recently “reorganized” by Naqvi. Dawn learned that Babar was offered the captaincy of all three formats but had certain conditions before accepting, citing concerns over the board’s recent workings.
Babar’s return means Shaheen’s tenure as T20 captain will be short-lived, a decision that some in the PCB believe could disrupt team unity.
Sources close to the situation expressed concerns over the PCB’s handling of the captaincy issue, particularly in not consulting Shaheen, potentially affecting team harmony.
During Babar’s captaincy, senior players Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir fell out of favor with selectors due to their public criticisms of his leadership.
However, both Imad and Amir, after rescinding their retirements, have been reinstated into the national squad by Mohsin, and are likely to feature in the T20 World Cup. But with Babar as captain, complications may arise.
The sources indicated that Babar might not be pleased with the expected inclusion of Amir and Imad in the team, considering their previous criticisms of his leadership.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
