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After relinquishing the top post a month ago, former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf has shed light on the reasons behind Babar Azam's decision to step down as captain after the ODI World Cup 2023. Babar, who was recently re-appointed as captain, had resigned from Pakistan's captaincy post in November 2023 following Pakistan's disappointing World Cup campaign in India. The Men in Green had a nightmarish campaign at the showpiece tournament, finishing fifth in the points table and failing to reach the knockout stages for the third consecutive World Cup.
This was Babar's first time leading Pakistan in the 50-over World Cup. Unfortunately, Pakistan only managed four wins out of their nine league matches, with five losses. Crucially, they fell short against arch-rivals India and Afghanistan. Had they secured just two more victories, they could have potentially faced the host nation in the semi-finals. Weeks after the team's underwhelming World Cup exit, Babar announced his resignation with a lengthy post on social media platform Instagram.
Following Babar Azam's decision to step down as captain after the 2023 World Cup, the PCB scrambled to fill the leadership void. Shan Masood was appointed Test captain for the upcoming series in Australia, while Shaheen Afridi took the reins of the T20I team. Unfortunately, both captaincies resulted in disappointing series losses. Masood's Test team suffered a 3-0 whitewash in Australia, and Afridi's T20I squad fell 4-1 to New Zealand. These dismal performances led the newly-appointed PCB chief, Mohsin Naqvi, to swiftly remove Shaheen from T20I captaincy and reinstate Babar as leader of the white-ball formats.
Reason behind Babar Azam's captaincy exit post World Cup explained
However, former PCB chief Zaka Ashraf, who was in office when Babar initially resigned, has shed light on a different perspective behind the captaincy changes. In a recent interview, Ashraf revealed some surprising details. According to him, he had actually encouraged Babar to continue as captain in the Test format. However, the PCB was apparently keen on exploring leadership options for the white-ball teams. Babar, perceiving this as a partial dismissal of his captaincy abilities, took a firm stance. He made it clear that if he wasn't leading the ODI and T20I teams, he would resign from all formats.
Ashraf also revealed his belief that the pressure of leadership was negatively impacting Babar's batting performance.
"I offered to retain Babar Azam as the captain for red-ball cricket, but we wanted to appoint a new captain for white-ball cricket. He responded by stating that if he were to be replaced as captain in one format, he would rather step down from captaincy in all formats," Zaka Ashraf told media reporters in Lahore.
“Consequently, I suggested that he should focus on playing as a team member for Pakistan, as it was clear that he was finding it challenging to cope with the pressure of captaincy,” he added.
Babar Azam back at the helm
Babar Azam is set to make a captaincy comeback, leading the Pakistani team in a five-match T20I series against New Zealand. This marks his return to white-ball leadership after a brief period away. Following the series against New Zealand, the Pakistani squad will embark on a whirlwind tour, playing three T20Is in Ireland and then facing England in a four-match T20I series.
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