Babar Azam returns as Pakistan captain in white-ball cricket

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday reappointed Babar Azam as national team’s captain for T20I and one-day internationals (ODIs).

The decision to change the team’s skipper comes ahead of the Green Shirt’s five-match T20I series against the New Zealand which will begin from April 18.

“Babar Azam appointed as white-ball captain,” the PCB posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“Following unanimous recommendation from the PCB’s selection committee, Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi has appointed Babar Azam as white-ball (ODI and T20I) captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team.”

Babar ended his years-long stint as skipper last November after he stepped down as captain of the national side. The former skipper was under fire for several months after Pakistan failed to perform in the Asia Cup and continued the same momentum into the World Cup — where they crashed out before reaching the semis.Babar, 29, was previously appointed white-ball captain in 2019 and as Test skipper in 2020, but the Green Shirts have not won any ICC or Asia Cup titles under his leadership.

Following this, the PCB under Zaka Ashraf appointed Shaheen Shah Afridi as white-ball captain after the team’s drubbing in the ICC World Cup 2023.

Meanwhile, Shan Masood was given the red-ball captaincy by the previous management.

Babar Azam has played 52 Tests, 117 ODIs and 109 T20Is for the national side. He has played 71 T20 matches, including T20 World Cup, as the team’s captain. Under his leadership, the Men in Green won 42 matches and lost 23 matches.