The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday appointed Babar Azam captain of the T20 and ODI squads.
On his return as captain of the national cricket team, Babar Azam’s father is said to have given him a very precious advice. Babar Azam’s father Azam Siddique thanked God for re-appointment of his son as captain in two formats of the game and told him to respect the seniors in the squad, Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim. He said it was a matter of honour that the people who matter have given Babar respect and acknowledgement.
Azam Siddique said there are many out there who are suspicious about unity in the team in future. He said he has advised Babar to forget whatever people said about him in the past. He said he has told Babar that Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir are older than him in age and also senior in the game therefore he should give them respect and treat them as seniors. He said that he has advised Babar to respect Imad and Amir’s opinion because a team of 11 brothers is now going to conquer the world.
On Sunday, Shaheen Shah Afridi’s stint as skipper of the T20I team came to an end after the PCB made Babar Azam the captain again.
The decision came after a meeting among PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi with Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer and selection committee members Mohammad Yousuf, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Razzaq, Bilal Afzal and Director of International Cricket Usman Wahla.
PCB’s selection committee made this decision after Afridi failed to win even a single game in 2024.
In November 2023, Babar Azam had resigned as captain of all three squads, T20, ODI and Test, after Men in Green’s murky exit from the ICC World Cup 2023. Afridi was then made T20 captain and Shan Masood got the Test captaincy.
Babar then emerged as top choice for coveted slot after Lahore Qalandars’ devastating performance under Afridi’s watch.
