Babar Azam is set to lose his role as the captain of Pakistan’s white-ball cricket team, marking the second time in his career. After the team’s poor performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup, Babar was removed from the role but was reinstated when Mohsin Naqvi became chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Since his return, Babar’s form with the bat and as a captain has not improved. Under his leadership, Pakistan was knocked out early in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and even suffered a surprising defeat to the United States.
Speculation about Babar’s future as captain grew when he wasn’t chosen as a captain in the Champions One-Day Cup tournament. On Friday, PCB announced the tournament’s captains, including Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Haris, and Saud Shakeel.
Pakistan’s next white-ball series is in November against Australia, and the PCB is expected to replace Babar with Mohammad Rizwan as captain officially. Rizwan is likely to eventually take over both white-ball and red-ball teams, replacing Shan Masood, who has struggled in Test matches.
Masood, who hasn’t won a match since becoming Test captain, faces pressure after a series of defeats against Australia and Bangladesh. Despite head coach Jason Gillespie’s support for Masood, PCB officials are considering replacing him with Rizwan in the upcoming Test series against England.
