Babar Azam steps down as captain of Pakistan across all formats

Amid the fallout of Pakistan’s disappointing World Cup 2023 journey, Babar Azam has opted to step down from captaincy duties in all cricket formats. The official announcement of this decision came through Babar’s statement on his verified social media account.

In a tweet, Babar shared, “Today I am stepping down as the captain of Pakistan in all formats. It’s a difficult decision, but I feel it is the right time for this call. I will continue to represent Pakistan as a player in all three formats. I am here to support the new captain and the team with my experience and dedication. I want to express my sincere thanks to the Pakistan Cricket Board for entrusting me with this significant responsibility.”

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Following Babar’s departure, Pakistan Cricket Board swiftly appointed Shan Masood as the Test captain and Shaheen Afridi as the T20I captain.

Babar Azam faced severe criticism during Pakistan’s faltering World Cup campaign, notably seen isolated during the team’s loss to Afghanistan. His individual performance also suffered, managing just 320 runs in the tournament at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 82.90. The team only secured victory in four out of nine league-stage games.

Babar Azam assumed the role of Pakistan’s white-ball captain in 2019, succeeding Sarfaraz Ahmed, and took over Test captaincy in 2021. Under his leadership, Pakistan reached the final of the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup in 2022.

Reflecting on his captaincy journey, Babar shared, “I vividly remember the moment when I received the call from PCB to lead Pakistan in 2019. Over the past four years, I’ve experienced many highs and lows on and off the field, but I wholeheartedly and passionately aimed to maintain Pakistan’s pride and respect in the cricket world.”

Earlier this year, Babar’s ODI team briefly held the top spot in the ICC rankings, a testament to the collective efforts of players, coaches, and management. He expressed gratitude to the passionate Pakistan cricket fans for their unwavering support.

Babar Azam’s decision comes after a tumultuous World Cup campaign in India, marked by team rift denials and the resignation of chief selector Inzamam Ul Haq due to an investigation into conflict of interest allegations in the squad selection process. Pakistan’s World Cup journey, starting with two wins against Netherlands and Sri Lanka, derailed with four consecutive defeats. Despite late victories over Bangladesh and New Zealand, their efforts proved insufficient.