Babar Azam has announced his resignation as Pakistan’s white-ball captain, bringing an end to his turbulent tenure. The 29-year-old made the decision following Pakistan’s disappointing performances in recent tournaments, including an underwhelming campaign at the 2023 ODI World Cup and an early exit from the T20 World Cup.
After being initially removed from the captaincy post the 2023 ODI World Cup, Babar was reinstated in March 2024. However, his second stint began on shaky ground as Pakistan failed to progress beyond the group stages of the T20 World Cup, with notable losses to the USA and arch-rivals India.
Babar shared the decision on social media platform ‘X,’ citing a desire to focus solely on his batting and reduce the significant workload that captaincy brought. “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 wrote, expressing his gratitude to the fans and emphasizing his commitment to improving his game and spending more time with his family.
Dear Fans,
I'm sharing some news with you today. I have decided to resign as captain of the Pakistan men's cricket team, effective as of my notification to the PCB and Team Management last month.
It's been an honour to lead this team, but it's time for me to step down and focus…
— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) October 1, 2024
Pakistan’s upcoming assignments in white-ball cricket include tours of Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. With Babar stepping down, the question of who will take over the leadership remains open, especially after Shaheen Afridi, who briefly replaced Babar as T20I captain, was also removed from the role.
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