Babar Azam Steps Down From Pakistan Cricket Team White-Ball Captaincy - Full Statement Of Sudden Move Here

02.10.2024 - 01:47 sports.ndtv.com

Babar Azam, in a late night post on Tuesday, announced that he is stepping down from his role as the white-ball captain of the Pakistan cricket team.

Babar Azam was earlier the all-format skipper of Pakistan. He stepped down previously as captain after Pakistan's poor show at the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi succeeded him as the T20I captain but was soon replaced by Babar, who was reappointed as the skipper in March 2024.

However, his second tenure as the Pakistan captain was not successful at all as the side was knocked out of the groups stage at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

cricket Pakistan Cricket Team Babar Azam Shaheen Shah Afridi Usa India Bangladesh Pakistan

Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman is likely to escape with a reprimand for criticising the PCB ahead of the squad announcement, where it planned to drop former skipper Babar Azam for two Tests against England. Azam, along with several senior players, got eventually dropped for two Test days after Fakhar expressed his displeasure on social media. Fakhar was issued a show-cause notice by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after he tweeted his views where he compared Azam's run drought with India's Virat Kohli, who went through a lean patch between 2020 and late 2022.

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Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag took a dig at Pakistan batter Babar Azam's recent performance in international cricket and asked him to work on his fitness. Ahead of the second Test match against England in Multan, Pakistan's selection committee took everyone by surprise after dropping the former Pakistan captain Babar Azam from the final two long-format matches of the series against the Three Lions. Kamran Ghulam was handed his maiden Test cap and placed to fill Babar's position as Pakistan hunted to level down the series. The batting all-rounder was at the receiving end of criticism from some sections of fans before and during the Test.

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"Read Some Things That Were Horrid": Shan Masood On Kamran Ghulam Replacing Babar Azam

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Babar Azam Leads Reactions As Pakistan Thrash England To Level Series 1-1 In Multan

Pakistan levelled the three-match Test series with a comprehensive 152-run victory over England in the second Test at Multan Cricket Stadium. The win came courtesy of a dominant display by Pakistan's spinners, who made full use of a re-used pitch, bowling England out for 144 before lunch on Day 4. The result sets up a thrilling series decider in Rawalpindi next week, with the series tied 1-1. Chasing a challenging target of 297, England batters were undone by left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who claimed seven of the eight wickets that fell on the fourth morning, finishing with figures of 8-46 in the second innings and 11-147 overall in the match.

Babar Azam To Return To Pakistan Squad? Ex-Pakistan Star Basit Ali Makes Bold Prediction

Former cricketer Basit Ali rooted for Babar Azam to return to the Pakistan setup after being dropped from the squad for the second and third home Tests against England. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reconstituted the new selection committee an hour after Pakistan's historic loss by innings and 47 runs in the opening Test, the star quartet featuring Babar, former captain Sarfraz Ahmed and speedsters Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were left out of the team.