New Delhi: Babar Azam’s resignation as white-ball skipper for the second time in less than a year not only ended a period of disappointing outcomes under him but also highlighted the “captaincy roulette” in Pakistan cricket.
After stepping down as captain from all formats following Pakistan’s exit at the Men’s ODI World Cup in India last year, Babar was again made Pakistan’s captain for the T20I and ODI sides earlier this year. In his absence, Shaheen Shah Afridi, the T20I captain, was sacked after Pakistan lost the series 4-1 to New Zealand in the shortest format.
Babar’s first stint as Pakistan’s captain saw the team achieve multi-format series wins over South Africa and an ODI series victory over Australia, reaching the semi-final plus final of the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups.
But in his second captaincy stint, Pakistan won just six of 13 T20I matches. They drew the home T20I series against New Zealand 2-2 and won a bilateral series against Ireland 2-1 before losing 2-0 in England just before the T20 World Cup.
The 2009 champions had a disastrous time in the T20 World Cup. Their defeats to co-hosts USA and India in their Group A matches—after being in a position to win at New York—saw them crash out of the competition without entering the knockouts.
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Amidst reports of team cohesiveness and infighting, Babar didn’t get to captain the team in ODIs before his second stint ended. A dip in his batting form was also evident—he didn’t score a fifty in his last ten international innings.
Pakistan’s next white-ball assignment involves travelling to Australia for three T20Is and three ODIs, followed by tours to Zimbabwe and South Africa. The team’s upcoming challenges against strong opponents may concern fans, hoping for a winning outcome.
Pakistan Cricket captaincy timeline
November 15, 2023: Babar Azam stepped down after the ODI World Cup debacle. Shan Masood was appointed Test captain, and Shaheen Afridi took over as T20I captain.
March 31, 2024: Shaheen Afridi was sacked as T20I captain and Babar Azam was re-appointed as white-ball captain, with Shan Masood continuing as Test skipper.
October 2, 2024: Babar Azam resigns as ODI and T20I captain.
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–IANS
