Babar Azam Resigns as Pakistan Captain:
Babar’s Pakistan produced a dismal performance in the ongoing ICC World Cup, finishing fifth with eight points from nine matches
Babar Azam announced on Wednesday his decision to step down as Pakistan captain from all formats of the game after his side’s debacle in the ICC World Cup 2023 in India. The 28-year-old player has relinquished the captaincy role of the side from all formats; he made the announcement on X via a statement.
Reaching the No. 1 spot in the white-ball format was a result of the collective efforts of players, coaches, and management, but I’d like to express my gratitude to passionate Pakistan cricket fans for their unwavering support during this journey,” he added.
Babar Azam Stepping down as the captain of Pakistan across all formats
“Today, I’m stepping down as the captain of Pakistan across all formats. It’s a difficult decision, but I feel it is the right time for this call. I want to express my sincere thanks to the Pakistan Cricket Board for entrusting me with this significant responsibility.
During Babar’s stint, Pakistan went to the No. 1 position in ODIs. Babar Azam-led England ended their disastrous campaign in the WC with a debacle at the hands of England by 93 runs.
Babar had a dismal performance with Pakistan in the ICC World Cup in India, finishing fifth with eight points from nine matches. On a personal level, Babar scored 320 runs in nine World Cup matches, the third most.
During Babar’s stint, Pakistan went to the No. 1 position in ODIs. Babar Azam-led England ended their disastrous campaign in the WC with a debacle at the hands of England by 93 runs.
Babar had a dismal performance with Pakistan in the ICC World Cup in India, finishing fifth with eight points from nine matches. On a personal level, Babar scored 320 runs in nine World Cup matches, the third most for Pakistan, with an average of 40 and a strike rate of 82.90.
Pakistan suffered five defeats out of their nine matches, including one at the hands of arch-rival India by seven wickets. In their last league match of the tournament, Men in Green started proceedings knowing that they had the slimmest of chances of still reaching the SFs, requiring a win by an enormous margin to force a gargantuan swing on net run rate. And the possibility of such a result soon disappeared as the 2019 champions, England, built towards a sizeable first-inning score and registered a 93-run win.
Earlier this week, Morne Morkel resigned as the bowling coach of the Pakistan men’s team. The former South African fast bowler joined the Pakistan team.
Babar Azam has relinquished his position as Pakistan captain in all formats following the team’s dismal performance at the 2023 World Cup. Pakistan finished fifth on the points table after the league stage under Babar, and at one point they were sliding even further down the barrel after losing four matches in a row. Somehow, Pakistan got themselves back among the wins, but it wasn’t enough to get through to the semifinal. In the aftermath of Pakistan’s elimination, clamors for Babar’s removal as captain were loud, with the star batter making the decision through a post on social media.
“Today, I am stepping down as the captain of Pakistan in all formats. It’s a difficult decision, but I feel it is the right time for this call. I will continue to represent Pakistan as a player in all three formats. I am here to support the new captain and the team with my experience and dedication. I want to express my sincere thanks to the Pakistan Cricket Board for entrusting me with this significant responsibility,” Babar said in a statement.
Appointed as Pakistan’s T20I captain in October 2019 and later taking on the ODI captaincy in May 2020, Babar Azam ascended to the role of being the official leader across all formats a month later. In a captaincy marked by both personal achievements and team successes, Babar guided Pakistan to the pinnacle of ODI rankings, as the team reached the T20 World Cup semifinals in 2021, followed by a runner-up finish in the final the next year. Babar’s rise in captaincy coincided with his becoming the world’s No. 1 ODI batter in April 2021, a position he held until earlier this month, when Shubman Gill displaced him from the top spot.
“I vividly remember the moment when I received the call from PCB to lead Pakistan in 2019. Over the past four years, I’ve experienced many highs and lows on and off the field, but I wholeheartedly and passionately aim to maintain Pakistan’s pride and respect in the cricket world.” Babar added. “Reaching the No. 1 spot in the white-ball format was a result of the collective efforts of players, coaches, and management, but I’d like to express my gratitude to passionate Pakistan cricket fans for their unwavering support during this journey.”
But Babar’s time was up when his own form of bat nosedived. Boasting an ODI average of 56.72 with 19 centuries, Babar endured a tough time in the World Cup, scoring 320 runs in his nine innings and having a top score of just 74.
