Former South African captain and legendary batter AB de Villiers has responded to the news of Babar Azam stepping down as Pakistan's white-ball captain.
Babar's announcement, made on Tuesday, left the cricketing world stunned. The star batter revealed his decision to step down from the captaincy through a detailed statement on his social media, citing his desire to focus more on his "playing role" for the team.
In his statement, the 29-year-old expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to lead the Pakistan men’s cricket team but emphasized that it was time for him to step back from the leadership role.
“Dear Fans, I’m sharing some news with you today. I have decided to resign as captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team, effective as of my notification to the PCB and Team Management last month,” stated Babar.
“It’s been an honour to lead this team, but it’s time for me to step down and focus on my playing role,” he added.
In response, the former wicketkeeper batter voiced his support for Babar’s decision, expressing hope that the Pakistani batter will continue to deliver stellar performances with the bat.
"Congrats. You’ve been great. Now for plenty more runs for your team," de Villiers wrote in reply to Babar’s post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Following Babar’s resignation, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has emerged as the frontrunner for the ODI captaincy. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly considering Mohammad Haris as a potential candidate for the T20I leadership.
Although Babar has stepped down from the white-ball captaincy, he remains a pivotal figure in Pakistan’s Test team. His next challenge will be leading the batting lineup in the upcoming three-match Test series against England, starting on October 7th.
Pakistan squad for first Test against England: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zahid Mehmood.
Pakistan, England Test series schedule: