PCB continues with game of musical chairs as Babar Azam returns to Pakistan T20, ODI captaincy

By Special Correspondent

 LAHORE: Batsman Babar Azam made a return to the captaincy of the men’s cricket team on Sunday after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that he would lead the Green Shirts in ODIs and T20s. In a post on social media platform X, the PCB said, “Babar Azam appointed as white-ball captain.” It said the decision was made following a “unanimous recommendation” from the PCB’s selection committee and its chairman Mohsin Naqvi. The PCB also shared a video clip from a meeting between Babar and Naqvi. Babar was first made the T20 captain in 2019, before taking charge of the Test and ODI teams in 2020. Babar stepped down from the post in November last year, after Pakistan’s dismal show in the Asia Cup and the 50-over World Cup last year. Shaheen Shah Afridi had replaced him as the T20 captain and Shan Masood had assumed the role as the team’s Test skipper. Both were kept in the dark by the national selection committee — recently “reorganised” by Naqvi — as it pondered over who to appoint as the next captain of the national team before agreeing upon Babar’s name on Friday. Babar’s return means Shaheen’s T20 international captaincy stint will stay limited to just one series and the PCB’s ignorance towards his position as a stakeholder in the situation may cost it the Pakistan dressing room’s stability.

According to reports, many in PCB believed that the organisation made a mistake by not keeping Shaheen in the loop over captaincy and by just informing the pacer about its decision to bring Babar back as skipper. “As both Shaheen and Babar are not on one-page for the last few months, the decision of appointing Babar without taking Shaheen into confidence may affect the unity within the national team as the fast bowler also has a good number of players supporting him,” says media reports. During nearly three years of Babar’s reign as Pakistan captain, senior players Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir had fallen out of the selectors’ favour and their chances of returning to the team were low. Both were openly critical of Babar’s approach as captain and were vocal about it on national television. All-rounder Imad and pacer Amir, however, were brought back into the fore by Mohsin after calling off their international retirement recently and it is understood that both will be on Pakistan’s squad for the T20 World Cup, which is set to be held in the United States and the West Indies in June. However, with Babar as captain, things may get tricky. After Sunday’s development, Babar will also become a part of the selection committee, which comprises four former Test players — Asad Shafiq, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq along with data analyst Bilal Afzal.

It appears there has been a rapid loss of faith in Afridi’s leadership abilities when he led Pakistan in one series and his PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars. Pakistan lost the T20I series against New Zealand 4-1, and Qalandars won just one game out of ten and finished bottom of the PSL table. Part of the appeal of appointing Afridi, still 23, as captain was he could learn on the job and continue in the role for an extended period of time. On Saturday, the PCB had sent all the recently-appointed national selectors to Kakul to meet Shaheen and Babar Azam in order to sort out the contentious matter of white-ball captaincy. The Pakistan team, which is currently without a coach, is undergoing a training camp at Pakistan Military Academy these days to prepare for next month’s T20 International home series against New Zealand. According to media reports, Babar had conveyed some tough conditions to the PCB for taking up the mantle again. Babar had sought supreme authority as captain and wants the hot seat for two years, at least. Moreover, the right-hander had demanded of the PCB not to make him accountable for Pakistan team’s performance in the upcoming World Cup. Babar’s first assignment since his reappointment is a five-match T20I home series against New Zealand next month.