THE announcement came without warning very late on Tuesday night. Merely six months since his reappointment and 11 months after he had initially quit, Babar Azam declared he was stepping down as Pakistan’s white-ball captain. In his statement on social media, Babar said that he had notified the Pakistan Cricket Board and the team management about his decision last month. The PCB accepted his resignation on Wednesday, hoping the star batter would be able to make more impact as a player. It also instructed the selection committee to recommend his successor. However, it calls into question the PCB’s move to reinstate him as limited-overs captain in March, ahead of the T20 World Cup. Babar had looked weak as skipper during last year’s ODI World Cup, and tendered his resignation following the team’s early ouster. There was no upturn in fortunes when he returned to the hot seat. Pakistan won just six of the 13 T20 matches played under Babar in his second stint, with the 29-year-old only winning a bilateral series against Ireland. Pakistan drew a home series against New Zealand 2-2 before losing 2-0 to England. They featured prominently in the T20 World Cup’s biggest upset when they were defeated by hosts US and failed to reach the Super Eight stage.

Babar’s return to captaincy did not go according to plan, with pressure mounting on him as his form declined. Pakistan’s batting mainstay has been unable to hit a half-century in his last 16 Test innings but was among the runs in the recent Champions Cup domestic tournament where he did not lead the Stallions team. Perhaps Babar will return to his prolific best now that he has shed the weight of captaincy, thus boosting a side whose fortunes have been flailing of late. Meanwhile, with a busy white-ball schedule in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, which Pakistan will host, the PCB must appoint the right person to take charge.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2024