It’s official! Babar Azam steps down as Pakistan captain from all formats

• It comes after Pakistan’s humiliating World Cup campaign.
• Zacka Ashraf has reportedly offered to retain him as Test captain.
• I will continue to represent Pakistan as a player: Babar.

Babar Azam on Wednesday announced his resignation as captain of the national team from all formats, ending his multi-year tenure at the helm following a humiliating World Cup campaign.

The now-former skipper came under fire for several months after Pakistan failed to perform in the Asia Cup and continued the same momentum in the World Cup – where they crashed out before reaching the semi-finals.

“Today, I am stepping down as captain of Pakistan in all formats. It is a difficult decision but I believe it is [the] the time is right for this call,” Babar said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

“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,” he noted.

Babar made the important announcement moments after meeting Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Zaka Ashraf at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, where, sources said Geo Newshe was offered to remain captain of the team in Tests, but he declined.

Recalling the first time he was appointed captain for the white-ball format, Babar said he remembers “vividly” the moment he received a call from the PCB to lead the national team.

“Over the past four years, I have experienced many ups and downs on and off the field, but I aimed wholeheartedly and passionately to maintain Pakistan’s pride and respect in the world of cricket,” Babar said.

Babar, despite being only 29, had a brilliant career and remained the leading ODI batsman for over two years. The former skipper was the only batsman to achieve the top three positions in all formats.

Batsman said winning the top spot in the white-ball format was a result of the collective efforts of the players, coaches and management.

“But I would like to express my gratitude to the passionate cricket fans of Pakistan for their unwavering support during this journey,” he said in the statement.

The skipper also expressed his “sincere thanks” to cricket for entrusting him with this important responsibility.

New captains?

The PCB has not revealed the names of the possible candidates to replace the 29-year-old, but Shan Masood is likely to be named as the captain for the tour of Australia, while Shaheen Shah Afridi will take the reigns in the T20I series against New. Zealand.

Shaheen may also lead the Green Shirts in next year’s T20 World Cup, the sources said.

Babar was appointed as white-ball captain in 2019 and as Test captain in 2020, but the Green Shirts have not won any ICC titles or Asia Cup under his leadership.

Although the Pakistan team went to the World Cup as the first team, they failed to prove their mettle and were eliminated from the tournament in the group stage.

They created multiple unwanted records as the team lost four matches in a row and five in total at the mega event, for the first time in Pakistan’s history.

Apart from this, Babar’s performance as a batsman was not up to his standards as the right-handed batsman managed to amass only 320 runs in nine World Cup matches at an average of 40.00 with a strike rate of 82.90.

It should be noted that the 2023 World Cup was Azam’s fifth tournament as captain after the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cup and the 2022 and 2023 Asia Cup where the failed to win any silverware.