Will Babar Azam retain captaincy? Decision expected tomorrow

Since Pakistan ended their World Cup 2023 campaign in humiliation, there has been a lot of talk about skipper Babar Azam's aptitude for keeping the captaincy as both critics and fans have been disappointed by the national side's performance at the ICC's showpiece event.

The 29-year-old batter is the national squad's captain in all formats of cricket but sources say that a decision on whether to retain Babar as the skipper is expected after his meeting with the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) Management Committee head Zaka Ashraf tomorrow (Wednesday).

The criticism of Babar being the captain has been a long story as it started even before last year's T20 World Cup, but Pakistan's continuous failures and dismal performances as a team strengthened it.

It is now to the extent that former cricketers have been openly speaking about the captain's "leadership qualities".

Amid all this scrutiny, the star batter had reportedly started consultations on whether he should keep the post or step down from captaincy. 

His close aides are advising him to step down from leadership in all three formats. While some have advised him to keep the captaincy in red ball cricket.

The Babar-led side, ranked fifth on the points table, crashed out of the World Cup 2023 after losing five of their nine matches in the tournament showcasing a rather underwhelming performance in all three departments.