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After Pakistan’s dismal show in ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023, Babar Azam stepped down as captain from all formats of the game on November 15. Babar announced the news on his X account after meeting Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on November 15. Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan came in Babar’s support with a heartfelt message on social media.
“Kaptaaana, aap Dilo k Kaptaan ho (Oh captain, you are a captain of hearts). You are definitely one of the greatest batsmen Pakistan has ever seen,” Rizwan wrote.
“Your honesty, love, integrity, thoughts, and efforts for Pakistan as the captain are the things to look up to. May you continue to shine for Pakistan, Ameen.”
As per reports, Babar was asked to step down as captain from white-ball formats and continued to lead Pakistan in Tests. However, Babar was not in favour of captaining in just one format.
“Reaching the number 1 spot in the white-hall 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,” Babar wrote in a post.
“Today, I am stepping down as the captain of Pakistan in all formats. It's a difficult decision but I feel it is a right time for this call.”
PCB named Shan Masood as Pakistan’s Test captain who will lead the side in the three-Test series on the tour of Australia. Their premier left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi will lead Pakistan in T20Is. Meanwhile, PCB is yet to name an ODI captain as they will not be playing ODIs till November 2024.
While Babar failed to score a single century in the tournament, Rizwan was Pakistan's highest run-scorer. He scored 395 runs from nine innings at an average of 65.83 including an unbeaten century against Sri Lanka in the record-breaking World Cup run chase in Hyderabad.
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