Babar Azam was just reappointed as Pakistan’s white-ball captain in March, but his prospects as the team’s leader are already looking uncertain.
The 29-year-old is facing criticism from a large group of former cricket players due to Pakistan’s poor showing at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. People are beginning to question whether he will continue as the white-ball captain of the team.
After their three-wicket victory against Ireland in the final group match, Babar answered questions about his future as captain. He said he would talk to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and decide on his role soon.
Babar explained, “I gave up the captaincy (in 2023) because I felt it wasn’t the right time for me to continue. That’s why I stepped down and made the announcement myself,” as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
“After they returned it to me, the PCB made the decision. When I return, we’ll talk about everything that happened here. And if I need to step down as captain, I’ll make it public. I won’t keep it a secret. Everything will be out in the open. But right now, I haven’t considered it. Ultimately, it’s the PCB’s call.
“When asked if he would take the blame for Pakistan’s disappointing exit from the T20 World Cup, Babar said the whole team must take responsibility for the poor performance because “we didn’t lose due to just one person.”
“I already said that we didn’t lose this game because of just one person,” Babar said. “We win and lose together as a team. You’re saying that I’m the captain, but I can’t be in every player’s position. There are 11 players, and each one has a job. That’s why they’re here to play in the World Cup. I believe we haven’t played well together as a team. We need to calm down and admit that we didn’t play well as a team.”
“We admit that our performance didn’t meet what people hoped for. With the team we had and the experience we had, we didn’t play well at times. As a player and the team leader, I won’t blame any one person. All 15 of us are responsible. We will have a meeting to discuss what went wrong. As the captain, it’s my job to share my thoughts with those who make decisions.”
