SOME things never change. Although the Pakistan Cricket Board has a new elected board, it looks set to keep alive the tradition of reversing or changing decisions made by its predecessors and causing confusion. Less than five months after being forced to step down, Babar Azam is likely to return as cricket captain. PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi has already met Pakistan’s star batter and a formal announcement is expected. Apparently, the only details to be ironed out pertain to the question of whether he will take over all formats of the game or just the Twenty20 side for now. The T20 World Cup is on the horizon, with the tournament scheduled to take place in June in the US and the West Indies. In the lead-up, Pakistan will only play matches under cricket’s shortest format. With Pakistan preparing for the World Cup, where they finished as semi-finalists and runners-up respectively in the last two editions under Babar’s captaincy, the sooner matters are decided, the better. At the same time, while the PCB has approached Babar, it is clear that incumbent skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi is not in the loop, with Mr Naqvi adding to the confusion by telling reporters that a decision over captaincy had not yet been taken.

If Babar is indeed restored to his old posts, it will see him regain absolute power and demi-god status in Pakistan cricket. However, the move would also underscore the short-lived memory of those associated with the game; this is the same Babar they accused of favouritism and of playing his ‘friends’ in the team; the same man who they thought was not cut out for captaincy. This time, though, Babar will not be calling all the shots. A revamped selection committee with no chairman but seven members will finalise Pakistan’s squad. Mr Naqvi has already stated that the selection committee, which will include the coach and captain, will be solely responsible for the team’s results. Babar will have to deal with the inclusion of Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir, two players with whom he did not see eye to eye in his previous stint as skipper. In the recently concluded Pakistan Super League, both Imad and Amir proved they remain top performers. For this World Cup campaign, Pakistan would be best served by taking those who are continuously delivering on the field.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2024