LAHORE: Babar Azam’s leadership behind the white ball is under question after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) did not decide to name him as captain for the upcoming Champions One Day Cup. According to sources, Babar is likely to be recalled as Pakistan’s white-ball captain ahead of the tour of Australia. The 29-year-old, who is not leading in the Champions One-day Cup, suggests that he may not remain the captain of Pakistan’s white-ball team. The PCB is considering appointing a new captain for the tour Down Under, where Pakistan will play three T20Is and as many ODIs. White-ball head coach Gary Kirsten had already discussed the matter with board officials during his visit in July It should be noted that Babar has been under the radar due to his poor performance in Test cricket. In the Test series against Bangladesh, he got out for a duck in the first innings of the first Test and scored only 22 in the next innings. In the second Test, he just scored 31 in the first innings and 11 in the second. He has dropped three places and is now ranked 12th with 712 points in the latest update of the ICC Test Rankings. On the other hand, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly started considering the appointment of a new captain for the Test team after a series of disappointing performances. Shan Masood, who was appointed Test captain in place of Babar Azam during former chairman Zaka Ashraf’s tenure, faced scrutiny due to the team’s recent poor performance. The recent series against Bangladesh added to the pressure, with Pakistan losing the first Test by 10 wickets and the second by 6 wickets. Masood scored 6 and 14 runs in the first Test and 57 and 28 runs in the second, leading to a total of 286 runs at an average of 28 from five matches. Critics, including former cricketers Ramiz Raj and Basit Ali, questioned his leadership and batting. If he decides to change the captain, Mohammad Rizwan seems to be the prime candidate. His recent performances have been strong and he could become Pakistan’s captain across all formats in the future. Currently, Masood is the only Pakistan captain to lose all five of his opening Test matches, making him one of only eight captains worldwide to hold such a record.
