Babar Azam Returns as Pakistan’s White-Ball Captain Prior to T20 World Cup

Babar Azam is set to captain Pakistan in the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup, having been reinstated as the leader of the white-ball formats. This decision comes after a unanimous recommendation from the PCB’s selection committee.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed Babar Azam’s appointment as the white-ball (ODI and T20I) captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team on social media.

Azam had previously stepped down from his leadership role after Pakistan’s disappointing performance at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India last year. Pakistan failed to advance to the knockout stages, securing only four wins in nine games.

Shaheen Shah Afridi assumed the role of Pakistan’s T20I captain, while Shan Masood took over the red-ball leadership following their ODI World Cup campaign in November last year.

India won their third match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 against Pakistan by a margin of seven wickets in Ahmedabad.

Afridi was given the T20I captaincy based on his impressive performances in the Pakistan Super League, where he led Lahore Qalandars to back-to-back title victories in 2022 and 2023.

However, Pakistan only managed to secure a single victory in a five-match T20I series in New Zealand, which was Afridi’s first assignment as captain.

Unseen footage from Pakistan’s victory over New Zealand in the first semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Sydney.

Azam’s first task after his reappointment as captain will be the upcoming five-match home T20I series against New Zealand. With the T20 World Cup just around the corner, Pakistan is aiming to improve their preparations for the prestigious event under his leadership.

Under Azam’s leadership, Pakistan reached the final of the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022. The team is now hoping to go one step further as the tournament moves to the USA and West Indies.

Pakistan is in Group A of the T20 World Cup, and will face India, Ireland, Canada, and the USA.