The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Sunday that Babar Azam has reclaimed the captaincy of the Pakistan side in white-ball cricket (ODI and T20I), marking the end of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s brief stint as T20I captain, as reported by ESPNcricinfo earlier.
“Following unanimous recommendation from the PCB’s selection committee, Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi has appointed Babar Azam as white-ball captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team,” the PCB stated.
Babar had previously stepped down as captain after the PCB indicated their intention to appoint a new leader in November, which resulted in Afridi’s appointment. However, subsequent developments saw Babar regain the captaincy, indicating a significant turnaround in his fortunes.
The majority of the newly appointed members to the selection panel were reportedly in favor of reinstating Babar, who had certain conditions before accepting the captaincy again, including assurances of a longer tenure at the helm.
Meanwhile, Afridi’s brief tenure as captain may have taken a toll on his morale, particularly after Pakistan’s loss in the T20I series against New Zealand and his franchise Lahore Qalandars’ poor performance in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Babar’s first assignment as captain after his reinstatement will be a five-match T20I home series against New Zealand next month.
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