With Pakistan mathematically knocked out of the ongoing World Cup 2023, all eyes will be on Babar Azam's future as Men in Green's captain. The only hope for Pakistan to make it to the World Cup 2023's semifinals also got dashed after Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bat first, which apparently preempted Babar's brigade's plan to bat first and post a colossal target and sum up England in a measly score.
Barring the last league match against England, which is underway, Pakistan could only win four matches out of eight games they played in the ongoing World Cup. But they hit the rock bottom when they suffered defeat against Afghanistan which dented their confidence to the core and invited a host of criticism.
Meanwhile, the speculations are rife that Babar is contemplating to step down as Pakistan captain after Men in Green's horrendous campaign in the World Cup 2023. It was also reported that the 29-year-old batting star has been actively seeking advice regarding his future, engaging in discussions with ex-PCB chairman Ramiz Raja and other confidants. These consultations, including a recent one with Raja at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, are pivotal in shaping Azam's decision about his captaincy.
Meanwhile, while speaking with a local news channel, former Pakistani cricketer Ramiz opened up on the chat he had with Babar.
He said that Babar looked depressed during the conversation, without revealing much on the subject.
"Babar seemed to be very off and looked depressed. I felt really bad. The conversation regarding his captaincy was private, and I don't want to make it public," Ramiz was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan's Geo News' reported on Friday that Babar's decision to continue with captaincy would depend on the advice that he receives from the people, and some of his close aides have advised him to step down from captaincy in all three formats.
Ahead of Pakistan's final group stage clash against England, Babar was asked about when he would take a decision on his captaincy during the pre-match press conference on Friday, to which he replied, "About the captaincy--as I said, once we go back to Pakistan or after this match, we will see what happens. But right now, I am not focusing on this; my focus is on the next match."
According to Geo News, some of Azam's close advisors have suggested that he relinquish the captaincy in all three formats of the game, including Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.
Azam himself has remained non-committal about his intentions, stating that he will make a decision after the team returns to Pakistan or following their final group stage match against England in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup. In the pre-match press conference ahead of Pakistan vs England clash, Babar said,"About the captaincy--as I said, once we go back to Pakistan or after this match, we will see what happens. But right now, I am not focusing on this; my focus is on the next match."
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