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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi has clarified that Babar Azam's decision to step down as captain of Pakistan's white-ball teams was voluntary. Naqvi stated that the PCB did not force Babar to relinquish the captaincy. Babar Azam announced his decision to step down from the captaincy of both ODI and T20I teams on October 2nd. He informed the PCB and team management about his bold move recently in September.
Babar Azam cited a significant workload as the reason behind his decision to step down as captain of Pakistan's white-ball teams. He believes that focusing solely on his batting will allow him to contribute more effectively to the team. This decision comes amidst a recent dip in form, with Babar slipping out of the top 10 in the ICC Test rankings. On October 27, Mohammad Rizwan was officially named the new captain of Pakistan's ODI and T20I teams, with Salman Ali Agha as his deputy.
Why did Babar Azam quit Pakistan's captaincy? PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi reveals
PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi revealed that the decision was made after consulting with multiple coaches and mentors within the Pakistan cricket system. They collectively agreed that Rizwan was the best choice to lead the team forward.
"Babar Azam told me himself that he did not want to continue as captain. No one from the PCB told him to leave captaincy. He discussed it with himself with the coaches and wanted to focus on his performances," Mohsin Naqvi said in the press conference on Sunday.
"We spoke to the 5 mentors of the Champions Cup and the coaches and the majority of them believed that Mohammad Rizwan should be the captain and Salman Ali Agha the vice-captain of the side," he further added.
PCB has announced their squads for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against Australia and Zimbabwe. Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah have been included in the squads for the Australian tour but will be rested for the Zimbabwe series. This selection marks the return of these key players after they were dropped from the Pakistan Test team midway through the home series against England.
Pakistan squad for Australia ODIs
Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Pakistan squad for Australia T20Is
Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan
Pakistan squad for Zimbabwe ODIs
Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir
Pakistan squad for Zimbabwe T20Is
Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir
