LAHORE: The national selection committee has been tasked with finding Pakistan’s next white-ball captain following Babar Azam’s resignation from the position, the country’s cricket board said on Wednesday.

Babar announced he was stepping down as Pakistan’s One-day Interna­tional and T20I skipper in a post on his social media platform ‘X’ account, saying he wanted to focus on his playing role.

While accepting Babar’s resignation — which the star batter earlier said he had notified to the board “last month” — the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it was already focused on the future.

“The national selection committee has been tasked with beginning the process of formulating future white-ball cricket strategies, including recommending a new captain,” read the board’s statement.

Babar’s resignation is the second time he has decided to step down as Pakistan’s captain in 11 months after he was reinstated in March ahead of the T20 World Cup.

His move leaves Pakistan without a white-ball captain with the ICC Champions Trophy just five months away. Before the eight-team 50-over tournament — set to be held in Pakistan — the national side is scheduled to play three ODIs each in Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa across the next two months.

Pakistan will also host a single-league tri-nation one-day tournament featuring New Zealand and South Africa as warm-up for the Champions Trophy.

Babar’s former deputy and Pakistan wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan, owing to his successful captaincy record in the Pakistan Super League and domestic cricket, is being touted as the frontrunner to be named as the national side’s next white-ball skipper.

“The PCB acknowledges Babar’s contributions as white-ball captain, his ability to prioritise the team’s needs and his unwavering dedication to Pakistan cricket,” said the board. “The PCB will continue to support Babar Azam, recognising he still has much to offer both as a world-class batter and a senior statesman of the team.”

Since being appointed Pakistan’s T20 captain in 2019 before going on to take the ODI and Test roles soon after, Babar led the side to the semi-final of the 2021 T20 World Cup and the final of the tournament a year later.

While his competence as captain was being questioned by critics despite the said achievements, his downfall in the position started when the team failed to make it to the Asia Cup final and later saw a league-stage exit from the 50-over World Cup.

Babar tendered his first resignation in November last year following the showpiece before being reinstated and leading Pakistan to another first-round exit in June this year.

Babar is slated to play in the England Test series starting in Multan on Monday, but red-ball skipper Shan Masood is also facing heavy criticism and even calls to step down over dire performances.

Pakistan has lost all five matches under his tenure, which began last year and his seen the team subjected to their first-ever whitewash against Bangladesh last month.

“I’ve had the privilege of leading Pakistan for five remarkable years, always trying to give my best as both captain and player,” Babar was quoted as saying in the PCB press release. “At this stage, I strongly believe I can make a bigger impact by concentrating on my batting. I am grateful for the constant support from my teammates, coaches and the PCB throughout my captaincy.”

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2024