Babar Azam has been reinstated as the captain of Pakistan’s national cricket team for both T20Is and one-day internationals (ODIs), announced the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday. This decision arrives just in time for the Green Shirts’ upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, slated to commence from April 18.
Last November, Babar concluded his extensive tenure as skipper, voluntarily stepping down from the leadership position. The move came amidst mounting criticism, particularly following Pakistan’s lackluster performances in tournaments like the Asia Cup and the World Cup, where they fell short of expectations.
Although Babar, 29, previously assumed the roles of white-ball captain in 2019 and Test skipper in 2020, Pakistan failed to clinch any ICC or Asia Cup titles under his helm.
In response to the team’s disappointing showing in the ICC World Cup 2023, the PCB, led by Zaka Ashraf, appointed Shaheen Shah Afridi as the white-ball captain, while Shan Masood took charge of the red-ball format during the previous management’s tenure.
Babar Azam’s cricketing journey includes 52 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 109 T20Is for the national side. Notably, he led the team in 71 T20 matches, including the T20 World Cup, tallying 42 wins and 23 losses under his leadership.
