Pakistan’s dismal performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 has seemingly jeopardized Babar Azam’s captaincy prospects, as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided not to appoint him as skipper for red-ball cricket.
According to reports, batter Shan Masood will continue as captain for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh in August. The board’s management is reportedly disappointed with Babar’s leadership following the T20 World Cup debacle.
Former Australian player Jason Gillespie will serve as Pakistan’s head coach during the Bangladesh series, marking his first assignment in this role.
Babar was appointed the white-ball captain in 2019 and as Test skipper in 2020. Under his leadership, the team has not won any ICC or Asia Cup titles. Following Pakistan’s poor performance in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, the PCB, under Zaka Ashraf, appointed Shaheen Shah Afridi as the white-ball captain. However, this tenure was short-lived, as PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi reinstated Babar as the white-ball skipper on March 31, without making a decision about the red-ball format.
Shan Masood had been given the Test captaincy by the previous management. Although there were expectations that Babar might reclaim the Test captaincy, the team’s recent performances have extinguished those hopes.
Pakistan was eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2024 after the United States vs. Ireland match was called off due to a wet outfield at the Central Broward Regional Park in Florida on Friday.
The Green Shirts have one more match to play against Ireland, but it will be merely a formality as they are now out of the tournament.
