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Since the Pakistan National Cricket Team returned from the T20 World Cup 2024, Babar Azam’s role as captain has been under intense scrutiny. There are growing speculations that the right-handed batsman might be removed from his captaincy and relegated to just a batting position.
This uncertainty follows Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup 2024, where under Azam’s leadership, the team suffered unexpected losses to the United States and India, resulting in an early exit from the tournament and failing to advance to the Super 8 stage, despite being one of the favorites.
Babar Azam had been reinstated as the team’s captain after his previous removal following the ICC World Cup 2023 fiasco. While he reclaimed the white-ball captaincy, Shan Masood retained the red-ball captaincy, with initial indications that Azam might also be given a leadership role in Test cricket.
Recently, there have been reports about a meeting between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the new selectors, including coaches Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie, to evaluate the team’s recent poor performance. During this meeting, Babar Azam’s captaincy and his recent batting performances came under significant criticism.
Sources suggest that Azam’s leadership was questioned due to a perceived lack of resilience and command during crucial moments in the T20 World Cup 2024. Although no final decision has been made yet on his future as captain, Shan Masood has received support to continue leading the team in Test cricket.
According to recent updates from Cricwick, the decision on the captaincy will ultimately be made by Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie, with their recommendations being submitted to the PCB chairman. It has also been reported that Waqar Younis will not be involved in these decisions. Younis, a former Pakistan cricketer, has been appointed as an Advisor to PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, focusing solely on administrative duties.
Babar Azam will next be in action during the Bangladesh Test series.
Since the T20 World Cup 2024, the Pakistan National Cricket Team has been inactive, with their next fixture set to be a Test series against Bangladesh. The series is scheduled to take place from August 21 to September 3.
Babar Azam is expected to be a pivotal player in this upcoming series. This will be a crucial chance for him to address his critics and respond with a strong batting performance. He will be keen to improve his recent Test record, which has been underwhelming.
Azam has not scored a fifty in Test cricket since 2022. Over the last year, he managed only 204 runs from 10 innings and struggled significantly in the Test series against Australia, where he accumulated just 103 runs at an average of 20.60, with a highest score of 41.
