PCB decides to 'sack' Babar Azam as captain after World Cup fiasco

 

• Shan Masood likely captain for upcoming Australia Test series.
• Shaheen Shah Afridi expected to lead Pakistan in NZ T20 series.
• Babar Azam to be sacked as captain of all three formats.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to remove Babar Azam as the captain from all formats, sources told Geo News Tuesday night, ending his years-long stint in the leading position.

The decision comes after Pakistan failed to make it to the semi-finals in the ongoing World Cup, courtesy of their below-par performance in all three departments — batting, bowling, and fielding.

The sources said if Babar decides to submit his resignation, the board would accept it, otherwise, PCB will sack him from the post.

They added that Shan Masood is a strong candidate for the captain's slot in the upcoming Test series against Australia and Shaheen Shah Afridi for the T20I series in New Zealand.

Shaheen might also lead the Green Shirts in next year's T20 World Cup, the sources said.

Babar was appointed white-ball captain in 2019 and as Test skipper in 2021, but the Green Shirts have not won any ICC or Asia Cup titles under his leadership.

Although the Pakistan team went into the World Cup ranked as the top side, they failed to prove their mettle and crashed out of the tournament in the group stage.

Throwing his support behind "depressed" Babar after the Green Shirts’ failure in the World Cup, the team’s director Mickey Arthur had said that it's not a "crime to make mistakes".

The skipper is scheduled to meet PCB Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf later today and it is expected that an announcement related to his captaincy will be made after it.