PCB reappoints Babar Azam as Pakistan’s white-ball captain

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reinstated Babar Azam as the captain for white-ball cricket.

As reported by Cricket Pakistan on March 27, Babar has been chosen to lead Pakistan in the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup, following a unanimous recommendation from the PCB’s selection committee.

The announcement was made official by PCB on social media, confirming Chairman Mohsin Naqvi's decision to entrust Babar with the leadership duties for the ODI and T20I formats.

“Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi has appointed Babar Azam as white-ball (ODI and T20I) captain of the Pakistan men's cricket team,” PCB confirmed on social media.

Babar had stepped down from his captaincy across all formats after Pakistan's disappointing performance in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India last year, where the team failed to advance to the knockout stages.

Shaheen Shah Afridi had taken over the T20I captaincy, while Shan Masood was appointed as the leader for red-ball cricket.

Shaheen was selected as the T20I captain based on his notable performances in the Pakistan Super League, guiding Lahore Qalandars to consecutive title victories in 2022 and 2023. However, as reported by Cricket Pakistan on March 12, his leadership was under threat after Pakistan managed to win only one out of five matches during his first series as captain in New Zealand and Lahore Qalandars finished at the bottom of the table in the recent edition of the Pakistan Super League.

With Babar's reinstatement, his first task as captain will be leading Pakistan in the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand at home, starting from April 18.