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Revealed: Why Did Babar Azam Resign From Pakistan's White-Ball Captaincy?

Babar Azam resigned from white-ball captaincy [Source: @ajwa_56/X]Babar Azam resigned from white-ball captaincy [Source: @ajwa_56/X]

In a shocking event, Pakistan's talismanic batter Babar Azam recently stepped down from white-ball captaincy amid the team's vulnerable form across formats. Babar, reinstated as the T20I captain after the board removed Shaheen Afridi from the role, had a disastrous World Cup campaign in the Caribbean and the US, with Pakistan crashing out of the group stage. 

Babar Azam Was Unhappy With Gary Kirsten's Recommendations

Meanwhile, according to PTI, Babar was unhappy with head coach Gary Kirsten and his assistant Azhar Mahmood's recommendations. In his report to the board, Kirsten discussed the dressing room environment, highlighting the behaviour and non-cooperation of some players during the England series and the T20 World Cup.

He also expressed his opinion on whether Babar was fit to handle the captaincy pressure and his more significant role for the team as a specialist batter after the mental stress and criticism he had endured since last year.

The experienced batter couldn't digest the massive backlash, with people holding him responsible for Pakistan's horrendous T20 World Cup campaign.

"Babar was not happy with the observations and recommendations of Kirsten and even assistant coach, Azhar Mahmood and felt he was solely being blamed for the disappointing performances," a reliable source told PTI. 

The situation worsened for Babar when some of Kirsten's recommendations became public and tarnished his image. 

"He had indicated to the cricket board after some parts of Kirsten’s report became public that he was not interested in remaining captain," the insider added. 

Babar's Feud With PCB Led To His Resignation

Babar Azam was also disappointed that the PCB didn't address his complaint regarding Kirsten and Mahmud's decision-making. He felt heartbroken that the board didn't recognise his past efforts, which helped Pakistan grow into a cricketing force. 

However, the final nail in the coffin was when the PCB didn't announce him as captain of the ODI squad while confirming his appointment to lead the national T20 side before the World Cup. Thus, the PCB's lack of trust and recognition was one of the major reasons behind Babar Azam's resignation. 

[With Inputs From PTI]