Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali on Wednesday opened up on the leadership of Babar Azam after he announced his decision to step down as the white-ball captain.
A day earlier, the star batter took to Instagram to announce that he was relinquishing the Pakistan team’s captaincy to focus on his personal growth and contribute to the team as a player.
“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,” Babar Azam wrote in his statement.
While calling his role as the Pakistan captain a rewarding experience, the former all-format captain maintained that the responsibility added a significant workload.
Reacting to his decision, pace bowler Hasan Ali took to X to share a heartfelt message for the star batter, saying that it was an honour to have played under his captaincy.
Ali affectionately referred to Babar as the ‘king’ while extending his well-wishes to the star batter for his future in professional cricket.
“It’s been a pleasure and honoured playing under your captaincy! So many great memories and victories together. Looking forward to seeing you shine in the next chapter King. All the best. And stay blessed,” Hasan Ali wrote in the post.
Meanwhile, sources said that wicketkeeping batter Mohammad Rizwan is a ‘strong candidate’ to lead the national cricket team after the resignation of Babar Azam.
According to the sources, relevant Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials have been asked to hold consultations with Mohammad Rizwan for team selection.
The sources said that Babar was asked to continue captaining the ODI team, as white-ball coach Gary Kirsten wanted him at the top.
However, the star batter declined the offer and resigned from captaincy of the white-ball team.
It is noteworthy here that this was Babar Azam’s second term as Pakistan captain, having ended his first stint in November 2023 after the national team’s dismal run at the ODI World Cup 2023 in India.
While the right-handed batter stepped down from captaincy across all formats, he was reinstated as white-ball captain in March ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
