Babar Azam has announced his resignation as Pakistan’s white-ball cricket captain for the second time in 11 months, citing a need to reduce his workload and focus on improving his game. Babar’s second stint as captain saw Pakistan lose seven matches and coincided with a poor run of his batting form. He had previously stepped down as captain of all three formats last year after Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup.
In a statement on social media, Babar expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to lead the team but emphasized the importance of prioritizing his playing role, enjoying his batting, and spending quality time with his family. Under Babar’s leadership, Pakistan won only six of the 13 T20I matches played, with a notable upset loss to USA in the recent T20 World Cup.
The Pakistan Cricket Board will now need to appoint a new white-ball captain after the upcoming Test series against England, as Pakistan’s next white-ball tour will be against world champions Australia. Despite his recent dip in batting form, Babar has been named in the squad for the upcoming Test series and has received backing from current Test captain Shan Masood to perform well. Pakistan will face England in three Tests starting this week before traveling to Australia for ODI and T20 matches in November.
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