Babar Azam Regains White-Ball Captaincy for Pakistan Cricket Team
Star batter stepped down as the team's skipper across formats last year.
Babar Azam has been reinstated as the captain of the Pakistan side in white-ball cricket, as confirmed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). This announcement marks the conclusion of Shaheen Shah Afridi's one-series tenure as the T20I captain.
"After unanimous recommendation from the PCB's selection committee, Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi has appointed Babar Azam as white-ball (ODI and T20I) captain of the Pakistan men's cricket team," stated the PCB.
Babar will lead Pakistan for the 3rd time in a T20 World Cup.
Babar reluctantly stepped down from the captaincy in November, following the PCB's indication of naming a replacement. Shaheen Shah Afridi was subsequently appointed as the T20I captain. However, Babar's swift reinstatement highlights his strengthened position within the team.
Most of the newly appointed selection panel members were reportedly in favour of Babar's reinstatement. However, Babar had certain conditions before accepting the captaincy again. He sought assurances of a longer tenure as captain, extending beyond the T20I World Cup in June, and requested greater control in matters of team selection.
The PCB's brief experiment with Afridi's captaincy appears to have come to an end, with concerns over his leadership abilities. Afridi led Pakistan in one series against New Zealand, resulting in a 4-1 defeat, and his PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars also faced disappointing results.
Babar's first assignment after his reappointment will be leading Pakistan in a five-match T20I series against New Zealand next month.
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