LAHORE: Known as ‘king Babar’ to cricket fans across the globe for his prolific batting, Babar Azam reclaimed his lost ground after he was appointed captain of the white-ball (T20I and ODI) Men’s cricket teams through a unanimous recommendation by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee on Sunday.
In a post on social media platform X (previously known as Twitter), PCB announced that Babar Azam has been appointed as white ball captain by the Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
Babar Azam was unceremoniously stripped of the captaincy role after team’s lackluster performance at the ICC ODI World Cup in India under him, and he was replaced by fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as T20I captain by the then PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf. While opening batter Shan Masood was handed reins of the test side after Babar decided to step down as red-ball captain as well.
Babar’s removal as captain had received flak from the cricketing circles then and the PCB chairman’s powers to appoint a captain also came under the scanner. T
he decision had also earned ire of the cricket fans who did not see the decision justified but a fait accompli. w
In a, somewhat, historic decision PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced doing away with his powers to appoint a captain and handed the powers to the five-member selection committee comprising former test cricketers Mohammad Yousaf, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq and data analyst Bilal Afzal. The Chairman PCB believes that the matter of appointing a captain should be taken by the selection committee through a unanimous recommendation rather than by a Chairman PCB with not as good cricketing knowledge as the former cricketers.
The decision to reappoint Babar Azam as captain of the white-ball teams will pave way for a long-term role for the captains in future and discourage decisions to remove captain on personal whims or outside pressure. The re-appointment will give Babar Azam more confidence and power to lead the team in future.
During the intervening period since November 2023, Shaheen Sh
ah Afridi’s first and only assignment as T20I captain in an away five-match series against New Zealand ended in a 1-4 loss while his franchise Lahore Qalandars also finished bottom of the table at the recently concluded HBL PSL 9. The period also saw a dip in the form and speed as fast-bowler of Shaheen Shah Afridi while stylish Babar Azam has been consistent besides emerging the highest run-scorer of the HBL PSL 9 with 469 runs.
Babar Azam was first appointed captain of the national T20I side in 2019 and elevated as all format skipper in 2020.
It’s hoped Babar Azam’s re-emergence as captain will take Pakistan cricket to new heights and help Pakistan win an ICC title under him.