Babar Azam may be appointed captain again by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a recent development, according to several reports.
Sources went on to clarify, however, that the master of batting is hesitant to take on fresh responsibilities due to his poor handling of being ousted from Pakistan’s captaincy during his previous tenure.
The reports claim that Babar is now in talks with PCB and is seeking assurances on a few particular issues before agreeing to take back the captaincy.
In an earlier news conference in Lahore, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi suggested that a captain change would occur before the T20I World Cup.
Babar Azam was reportedly restored as the captain of the national side before the T20 World Cup by management due to Shaheen Afridi’s subpar performances as captain during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 and the New Zealand series.
Because of his immaculate captaincy and PSL performances that propelled his team, the Multan Sultans, to a fourth consecutive final, Muhammad Rizwan looked to be the front-runner at first. However, it appears that Babar Azam has unexpectedly returned to the race.
Following the ICC ODI World Cup in November, Babar lost his position as white-ball captain and resigned to become Pakistan’s Test captain, Shan Masood’s successor.
Furthermore, it has been stated that Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir, two players who had been in retirement, do not get along with Babar Azam.
Imad Wasim, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Amir have had open criticism of Babar’s performance and captaincy on national television, so it will be intriguing to see how their dynamic develops.
Both Imad Wasim and Babar Azam won the PSL championship in 2020. Still, many stories said that their falling out occurred in the dressing room and that their relationship had severely deteriorated.
Babar had previously led the Men in Green to the final of the T20I World Cup in Australia two years prior, and Pakistan to the semifinals of the T20I World Cup in 2021.
The question is whether Pakistan will gain anything from his return as captain, or if he will ascend to the throne of thistle. Time will tell.
