One of the biggest topics in Pakistan cricket of late has been whether their white-ball captain Babar Azam would retain his position in the limited-overs format. He didn’t enjoy a healthy time in the recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA) where they made a group stage exit in the event.
He wasn’t the captain at the start of the year when Shaheen Shah Afridi led the side in the five-match T20I series in New Zealand, but because under his leadership, the Green Brigade didn’t do well, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) brought back Babar Azam in the position.
On his return, the performance of the side didn’t change as they drew the five-match T20I series at home against the Blackcaps, before losing a T20I game against Ireland and being handed over a 2-0 series defeat against host England. It went downhill when they lost their opening two games of the 20-over ICC tournament to the USA and India.
These two coaches will take the final decision regarding Babar Azam’s captaincy
Recent reports have claimed the fact that the newly made white-ball coach of the white-ball Pakistan team- Gary Kirsten and the red-ball coach Jason Gillespie will make the final decisions regarding the captaincy future of Babar Azam, and submit their recommendations to the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
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Despite being a vital member of the advisory committee, the former fast bowler of the national side- Waqar Younis won’t have a say on the final result of the decision.
Along with his captaincy, Babar didn’t enjoy a great time too during the 20-over tournament, as he could manage only 122 runs in four innings, at an average of 40.66 and a strike rate of 101.66, which hardly helped the team to receive a healthy opening contribution from the veteran.
Even during the 2022 T20 World Cup, when the 2009 champions lifted the trophy, Babar Azam couldn’t make any such contribution with the bat, having collected only 124 runs in seven innings, at an average of 17.71 and a strike rate of only 93.23, besides celebrating only one half-century in the event.
Under his leadership, Pakistan didn’t do well during the 50-over World Cup too as they couldn’t qualify for the semifinal stage of the event. Their defeat against Afghanistan in Chennai hurt them the most, as questions have started to arise about whether he should be part of the T20I team on the national side.
Babar is the third leading run-scorer of the format, with 4145 runs in 116 innings, at an average of 41.03, with a strike rate of nearly 130, besides celebrating 36 fifties and three centuries. The issue with the team’s formation is if he doesn’t lead the team, who will replace him in the place?
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Fakhar Zaman didn’t have a huge experience of captaining any team. On the other hand, Shadab Khan, at the age of 25, could certainly be an option, but he isn’t certain for the team in the shortest format of the game. The Test captain- Shan Masood was part of the ODI side in 2023 and featured in a T20I game during the final of the 2022 World Cup.
With a home Champions Trophy awaiting in February 2025, the management, led by Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie will have to make a quick decision, about whether they want to continue with captain Babar Azam.
