LAHORE: Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam on Tuesday announced his resignation as captain of the national white-ball team.
In a social media statement, Babar said, “It’s been an honor to lead this team, but it’s time for me to step down and focus on my playing role.” However, sources suggest additional factors contributed to his decision.
However, according to sources, Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten recommended Babar continue leading the ODI team but sought to replace him as T20I captain following Pakistan’s disappointing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign.
Kirsten reportedly submitted a report outlining potential captaincy changes and discussed them with Babar.
Instead, Babar chose to relinquish captaincy in both formats, informing a top PCB official before making his resignation public.
Sources further revealed that Pakistan’s wicket-keeping batsman Mohammad Rizwan is the ‘strong candidate’ to lead the national cricket team after the resignation of Babar Azam.
According to the sources, relevant PCB officials have been asked to hold consultations with Mohammad Rizwan for team selection.
The sources said that Babar was not asked to quit captaincy and was asked to continue being captain of the ODI team, as white-ball coach Gary Kirsten wanted him at the top.
Babar Azam announced on Tuesday that he is stepping down from the white-ball captaincy, saying that he wants to focus on his playing role and personal growth.
“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,” the star batter said in a statement posted to Instagram.
While calling his role as the Pakistan captain a rewarding experience, Babar Azam maintained that the responsibility added a significant workload.
“I want to prioritise my performance, enjoy my batting, and spend quality time with my family, which brings me joy,” the star batter wrote.
View this post on Instagram
It is to be noted here that Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy across all formats after Pakistan’s dismal performance in the ODI World Cup 2023
