The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) declared that they had backed Babar Azam as their white-ball skipper after his retirement from the role at midnight on October 2, 2024. Babar announced his resignation as captain of both limited-overs formats in a lengthy message on social media. He also said that he had already notified the PCB of his intentions in September.
PCB's statement on Babar's resignation
In a statement following Babar's departure, the PCB acknowledged his choice. As a white-ball skipper, the Board stated that they fully supported him, but they respected his choice. Babar's professionalism and dedication to Pakistan Cricket were also praised by the PCB.
"Although the PCB had backed Babar Azam as the white-ball captain, his decision to step down reflects his desire to focus more on making a greater impact as a player. This decision is a testament to his professionalism and commitment to Pakistan cricket. He believes that dedicating himself fully to his batting will enable him to play a more decisive role in the team’s success in the shorter formats," said PCB in a statement.
Babar had resigned from the captaincy of all three forms in November 2023 following the catastrophic 2023 ODI World Cup, but he was reinstated as Pakistan's white-ball captain in March of this year. Shan Masood continued to be the Test captain, but Babar had taken Shaheen's place as the T20I captain.
Babar's return to captaincy, meanwhile, did not go as planned, as Pakistan was eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2024 in the group stage itself with a humiliating defeat to the United States. During his 43 ODI captaincy, Pakistan won 26 and lost 15 matches.
In the T20 World Cups in 2021, 2022, and 2024, Babar captained his team. Under his direction, Pakistan advanced to the tournament's semifinal in 2021 and placed second in 2022 after falling to England in the championship match. Having led the team in 85 matches and won 48 of them, he concluded as the most successful captain for his country in Twenty20 international cricket.
He captained Pakistan in 20 Test matches, winning ten and losing six. In the meantime, the PCB selection committee will start looking for a new captain in the limited overs format.
