Babar Azam To Step Down as Pakistan Captain After World Cup Exit

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made the decision to relieve Babar Azam of his captaincy across all formats, as reported by sources to Geo News on Tuesday night. This marks the conclusion of his extended period in the leading position.

This move follows Pakistan’s inability to secure a spot in the semi-finals during the ongoing World Cup, attributed to their subpar performance in batting, bowling, and fielding.

According to sources, Babar can submit his resignation and the board will accept it; otherwise, PCB will dismiss him from the post.

They further mentioned that Shan Masood is the first choice for captain’s role in the upcoming Test series against Australia, with Shaheen Shah Afridi being considered for the T20I series in New Zealand.

There are also indications that Shaheen might lead the Green Shirts in the T20 World Cup next year.

Babar, appointed as the white-ball captain in 2019 and as Test skipper in 2021, has not led the Green Shirts to victory in any ICC or Asia Cup titles during his tenure.

Despite entering the World Cup as the top-ranked side, Pakistan’s team failed to live up to expectations, exiting the tournament in the group stage. Mickey Arthur, the team’s director, expressed support for Babar, describing him as “depressed,” and emphasizing that making mistakes is not a “crime.”

The captain is set to meet with PCB Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf later today, and it is anticipated that an announcement regarding his captaincy will follow the meeting.

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