LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is gearing up to reinstate captain Babar Azam ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
According to details, Cricket Pakistan announced on March 12 that Shaheen Shah Afridi’s T20I captaincy is under threat.
Initially, Mohammad Rizwan was the main candidate to replace Shaheen, with Babar Azam also in contention. However, recent developments have once again put Babar as a prime contender for the captaincy. PCB officials are close to finalizing their decision to entrust him with the role.
Babar Azam was relieved of the white ball captaincy after the 2023 World Cup and Shaheen Afridi took charge of the T20I. Subsequently, after being removed as the T20I captain, Babar also stepped down from the red-ball captaincy, leading to the appointment of Shan Masood as the Test captain. Pakistan’s performance suffered, notably losing all three Tests in Australia and facing a 1–4 defeat in the T20I series in New Zealand.
Since then, there has been a change in PCB leadership, with Mohsin Naqvi replacing Zak Ashraf as chairman. Naqvi hinted at a potential change in the captaincy during his recent press conference in Lahore.
Sources revealed that Babar Azam was unhappy with how he handled his previous sacking as captain and is still hesitant to accept the responsibility again. He seeks reassurance from the board on certain matters and will only agree to take up the captaincy again if his concerns are addressed.
Meanwhile, Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir have reversed their international retirements and are likely to be included in Pakistan’s T20I squad for the World Cup. Babar Azam’s potential reappointment raises questions about the dynamic between him and Imad, Amir, who have previously criticized Babar’s captaincy and batting in T20Is on national television.
