Babar Azam Resigns As Pakistan's White-Ball Captain Amidst Poor Form

Babar resigns from captaincy [Source: @grassrootscric/X.Com] Babar resigns from captaincy [Source: @grassrootscric/X.Com]

In a shocking development, Babar Azam has stepped down from the post of Pakistan's white-ball captain, with immediate effect. The sudden move has shocked the cricketing fraternity, who were expecting Babar to continue as the captain.

Babar had reluctantly stepped down from the captaincy post in November last year, but was once again made the skipper ahead of the T20 World Cup in June. He made the shocking announcement via his X account.

Initially, Babar was reluctant to accept PCB’s offer as the white-ball captain in March, earlier this year. Still, the newly appointed chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, rewarded Babar with the captaincy of ODIs and T20I format.

Interestingly, Babar’s dear friend, Shaheen Afridi was made the T20I captain after Babar resigned last year, but his stint was short-lived and the captaincy armband was taken away after just one series.

“It’s been an honour to lead this team, but it’s time for me to step down and focus on my playing role,” Babar stated in his post.

"Captaincy has been a rewarding experience, but it's added a significant workload. I want to prioritize my performance, enjoy my batting, and spend quality time with my family, which brings me joy.

Babar’s poor form is also one of the reasons why the talented batter decided to move on from the captaincy post. He had an average World Cup, last year in India, and also was dismal in the T20 World Cup this year as Pakistan crashed out of the mega event in the group stage itself.

Shaheen, Rizwan favourites for white-ball captaincy

Pakistan Cricket Board has a tough choice to make regarding the next white-ball captain. The board doesn’t have too many choices after this sudden move from Babar. They have two front-runners for the post - Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan. Both players have prior experience at franchise level to lead the team, and two will be a solid choice for the Pakistan captaincy.

However, Shaheen might be reluctant to take the captaincy after he was stripped of it after the New Zealand series. The Pakistan side will play a 3-match Test series against England, and most likely a new captain will be announced after the series.