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"Today, I am stepping down as captain of Pakistan in all formats": Babar Azam

Swashbuckler said:
Even peak Imran Khan or Kardar can't help this Pak side avoid a massacre in Australia, problem is purely down to ability of your test squad.

But now a new captain will start with 0-3, all 3 will be by massive margins, and Aussie crowd is brutal, so is their media. Why should a new captain be subjected to all that? This team is Babar's legacy, his chosen ones, he alone should lead the team.
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New captain, coach and CS will choose his new team. New captain should also feel how it tastes to be a captain of corrupt board.
 
It's the correct decision but it's still not ideal as there isn't really a suitable replacement

Those talking about him being dropped all together must have banged their heads, our fragile batting would be even more ridiculous if he wasn't in it
 
I suppose this is the part where you're meant to be magnanimous, say Babar tried his best etc.

However I cannot bring myself to say that.

This decision will not make us worldbeaters or address any of our structural ailments. However there's still something called accountability and Babar was one of the worst Pakistani captains I've seen.

Selfishness, stubborness, an inability to learn from mistakes, making comments divorced from reality, and presiding over eight winless home Tests last year are reasons enough to give him the boot.

Regardless of his successor, the 2019-23 cycle will go down as a wasted investment on someone who simply isn't a cricket captain.
 
It's a tricky position right now I must say.

Rizwan seems to be the most suitable option. But there comes the question of his approach towards the game and even if all that is good. He hasn't really been a permanent playing XI member in the Test side. In T20Is also, do we want him to continue to open for Pakistan in WT20 2024 specially when we can groom the like of Abdullah, Haris, Saim etc as an opener.

Should the board go split? Because in that case I see no better option than Shaheen Afirid right now to lead the side in WT20 2024. But he needs a backup captain so he doesn't play all meaningless T20 matches.

Many things to resolve.
 
Rana said:
Guesswork?

Babar could have released this statement sitting at home. Why meet the chairman and release it 5 minutes after the meeting?
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Any details of what happened at the meeting? And what was it's purpose?
 
Markhor said:
I suppose this is the part where you're meant to be magnanimous, say Babar tried his best etc.

However I cannot bring myself to say that.

This decision will not make us worldbeaters or address any of our structural ailments. However there's still something called accountability and Babar was one of the worst Pakistani captains I've seen.

Selfishness, stubborness, an inability to learn from mistakes, making comments divorced from reality, and presiding over eight winless home Tests last year are reasons enough to give him the boot.

Regardless of his successor, the 2019-23 cycle will go down as a wasted investment on someone who simply isn't a cricket captain.
Click to expand...
People are talking about Babar's captaincy.

But the biggest issue right now in my opinion is the stability of the board. The political interventions need to end and we need to have a board for long-term with proper vision and plan for Pakistan Cricket.

Until then we can all pretend that a 'Juggar' works.
 
Babar has stepped down by himself. By doing so, he has earned my respect. Now it's time for him to play as a batter for the next 6-7 years and make world records.

Now we will see a different Babar.
 
Marooned said:
I hope it's not a token resignation meant to rouse emotions of his die hard fans but a genuine admission of his failure and an attempt to focus on his batting which has gone to dogs lately.
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Its definitely a token resignation because he wanted to drag his feet earlier when he was in India. His comments about “leading the rebuilt” were there after the england match. And so was the “feeler” thrown out by his PR folks on his team mates backing his captaincy. However good for him that his PR agency also read the mood of Pakistani fans and the boards and no one wanted him to stay as captain. Its Joeover.
 
RidiculousMan said:
He's about to have the test of his life. First he needs to prove he can survive in Australian conditions as a batter.
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He's your best test bat. He's the only logical option. We need a youngster and a newbie who can build a new team.
 
Its 2019 all over again when Mickey was removed (which was the right decision) and Misbah was given full power over Pakistan cricket (disastrous decision).

Now, Babar stepping down is the right move but appointing Shan masood averaging 28, a pathetic player as captain is even a worse move than appointing Misbah.

Glad to see Shaheen getting t20I captaincy though.
 
mominsaigol said:
Why?
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Because the team has a tough Australian tour coming up. The last Test series albeit against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, saw some promising signs in our test team under Babar.

The right time for the introduction of a new captain or a player is in easier tours or at home.
 
I don't get how Babar's captaincy affected Babar's batting? The guy averages almost 50 across formats as captain.

I do understand removing Babar because he's not a good captain but using the argument that captaincy has affected his batting is ludicrous.

Babar has had one bad tournament with the bat which he's allowed to have. Let's not completely erase his achievements as a batter while being captain.

What I feel about this whole situation is that Babar clearly has been forced to resign. The current PCB setup doesn't have the mandate to make long-term decisions and cannot appoint/sack team management or captains on a whim. Resignation was the only option whereby PCB could then appoint some new people. It's completely shambles at the PCB, which is expected because the whole country is run like this. Why would PCB be an exception?

If Shan Masood is to be appointed as Test captain, then I would rather die on the hill with Babar as captain. How can someone be appointed as captain whose ceiling is 33 against good Test sides on a consistent basis? I hope sanity prevails and Shan isn't the new Test captain.

All signs point towards Shaheen to be appointed captain. Shahid Afridi has been working for that all along and it seems like he will succeed here.
 
Rana said:
https://x.com/i/web/status/1724780099101233253

It’s over
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Good decision.
RidiculousMan said:
Because the team has a tough Australian tour coming up. The last Test series albeit against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, saw some promising signs in our test team under Babar.

The right time for the introduction of a new captain or a player is in easier tours or at home.
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Agreed. Playing strong Test sides should never be underestimated. Here are past examples of when we messed up:

  1. We played 4 debutants against Eng at Rawalpindi at a time when they were looking to push out the test due to food poisoning outbreak.
  2. We played the pint-sized Mohammad Musa on bouncy Australian pitches last time. How crazy is that?
it makes no sense to have a captain with <30 batting average lead for the first time in Australia.
 
Marooned said:
I hope it's not a token resignation meant to rouse emotions of his die hard fans but a genuine admission of his failure and an attempt to focus on his batting which has gone to dogs lately.
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Where did he admit the failures though? No mention of the world cup debacle, on top of that he mentioned how proud he was of the entire number 1 farce.
 
shariqnoor said:
I don't get how Babar's captaincy affected Babar's batting? The guy averages almost 50 across formats as captain.

I do understand removing Babar because he's not a good captain but using the argument that captaincy has affected his batting is ludicrous.

Babar has had one bad tournament with the bat which he's allowed to have. Let's not completely erase his achievements as a batter while being captain.

What I feel about this whole situation is that Babar clearly has been forced to resign. The current PCB setup doesn't have the mandate to make long-term decisions and cannot appoint/sack team management or captains on a whim. Resignation was the only option whereby PCB could then appoint some new people. It's completely shambles at the PCB, which is expected because the whole country is run like this. Why would PCB be an exception?

If Shan Masood is to be appointed as Test captain, then I would rather die on the hill with Babar as captain. How can someone be appointed as captain whose ceiling is 33 against good Test sides on a consistent basis? I hope sanity prevails and Shan isn't the new Test captain.

All signs point towards Shaheen to be appointed captain. Shahid Afridi has been working for that all along and it seems like he will succeed here.
Click to expand...


Babar had one bad tournament???This tournament was the mega event of cricket, and for all these years, they have been preparing for it. We are not discussing if captaincy has affected his batting or not. The thing is, he is not the right option for captaincy. He is a world-class batter, and his only job should be making records for Pakistan.
 
Aviator said:
Let the circus begin.... When half of the team desires to become a captain, there will always be groupism.
Hope rizwan is made captain of all three format.
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India has the following captains in their current squad: Rohit, KL, Pandya, Ashwin, Bumrah. I'm not even counting Kohli who is an X-captain. The others all skipper the national side when their bench is being tested.

How's that groupism working out for India?
 
FearlessRoar said:
Babar had one bad tournament???This tournament was the mega event of cricket, and for all these years, they have been preparing for it. We are not discussing if captaincy has affected his batting or not. The thing is, he is not the right option for captaincy. He is a world-class batter, and his only job should be making records for Pakistan.
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Didn't I say that Babar isn't a good captain?

Maybe you missed the whole narrative over the past couple of weeks here on this forum and on TV talk shows that captaincy is affecting Babar's batting and therefore should be removed.

Babar doesn't need to be removed from captaincy because it's affecting his batting. Babar needs to be removed because he isn't a good captain.
 
shariqnoor said:
I don't get how Babar's captaincy affected Babar's batting? The guy averages almost 50 across formats as captain.

I do understand removing Babar because he's not a good captain but using the argument that captaincy has affected his batting is ludicrous.

Babar has had one bad tournament with the bat which he's allowed to have. Let's not completely erase his achievements as a batter while being captain.
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2022 Asia cup
t20 wc
2023 Asia cup
50 wc
I hope you are not joking.
shariqnoor said:
What I feel about this whole situation is that Babar clearly has been forced to resign. The current PCB setup doesn't have the mandate to make long-term decisions and cannot appoint/sack team management or captains on a whim. Resignation was the only option whereby PCB could then appoint some new people. It's completely shambles at the PCB, which is expected because the whole country is run like this. Why would PCB be an exception?

If Shan Masood is to be appointed as Test captain, then I would rather die on the hill with Babar as captain. How can someone be appointed as captain whose ceiling is 33 against good Test sides on a consistent basis? I hope sanity prevails and Shan isn't the new Test captain.

All signs point towards Shaheen to be appointed captain. Shahid Afridi has been working for that all along and it seems like he will succeed here.
Click to expand...
 
RidiculousMan said:
Because the team has a tough Australian tour coming up. The last Test series albeit against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, saw some promising signs in our test team under Babar.

The right time for the introduction of a new captain or a player is in easier tours or at home.
Click to expand...
Fair
 
Babar Azam meets Chairman PCB Management Committee

PCB Chairman Management Committee Zaka Ashraf and Babar Azam met at the PCB headquarters in Lahore today and had a cordial meeting to discuss various aspects and the World Cup performance. Babar was asked to continue as Test captain, while he has been relieved of captaincy in white-ball cricket for him to focus on one format.

After consultation with his family, Babar decided to step down and PCB stands behind his decision.

PCB respects his decision and continues to support him as a player.

Chairman PCB Management Committee Zaka Ashraf: “Babar Azam is truly a world-class player and we want him to continue to thrive as a player. He is one of the best batters Pakistan has ever produced. He is our asset, and we will continue to support him. His batting prowess is a testament to his dedication and skill. He is a role model for the present generation.

“We want to see him grow as a great batter and now without his additional burden of the captaincy, he can focus more on his performances to reach even greater heights. We respect his decision and will continue to back him.”

Babar has featured in 49 Tests and scored 3,772 runs which includes nine centuries and 26 half-centuries.

Update on team coaching staff:

The PCB has changed the portfolio of the entire coaching staff including Director Cricket Mickey Arthur. All coaches will continue to work in National Cricket Academy while PCB will announce the new coaching staff in due course for the upcoming series in Australia and New Zealand.
 
Rana said:
A reliable reporter also mentioned Imad was at the PCB headquarters
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Well if it's Shaan Masood, then there is no place for Imam in the test team as the former will open with Abdullah Shafiqque.

Also Shaan has a relationship with Mickey Arthur from their county days so there will probably be no change in the coaching set-up.
 
NeVerMind said:
Well if it's Shaan Masood, then there is no place for Imam in the test team as the former will open with Abdullah Shafiqque.

Also Shaan has a relationship with Mickey Arthur from their county days so there will probably be no change in the coaching set-up.
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Reports suggest Fakhar and Saim will be opening in Test for Australia tour

Masood likely coming in at 3
 
He tried to do what he could as a captain. But not all players are tactical geniuses or visionaries. Pak did reach the final in wt20 under him for the first time since 2009. Even though we fell short there, that would be his achievement as captain.

Hopefully he can shake off the baggage and work on becoming the best player he can become.
 
Rana said:
Reports suggest Fakhar and Saim will be opening in Test for Australia tour

Masood likely coming in at 3
Click to expand...
Not a fan of Shan at all, don't think he is good enough to sustain at the top level as a pure batter. But you gotta feel for the poor fella, he has been chosen as the scapegoat to protect the legacy of the superstars.
 
VForVendetta said:
Not a fan of Shan at all, don't think he is good enough to sustain at the top level as a pure batter. But you gotta feel for the poor fella, he has been chosen as the scapegoat to protect the legacy of the superstars.
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Well, it’s not like his international career was advancing anyways. He Will happily take this assignment. Just a bonus, prolonged amount of time in the international limelight for him.
 
Congratulations to all the fans who wanted Baber to step down!!! :D

Hope they are happy now that Shan Masood has taken over! :)
 
I feel bad for him... so much criticism, plenty which was warranted and plenty which wasn't.

Ultimately, he was never captain before being made captain for Pakistan across all formats and Pakistan is probably the worst place to learn on the job and with minimal veterans to learn from. Test side was extremely inexperienced when he took over. T20's had Hafeez & Malik but they were being phased out with their age and Hafeez is an ego maniac as well. ODI side was still relatively inexperienced when he took over with guys like Fakhar/Imam/Shadab being the more experienced players at the time.

Overall, he did very poor as a Test captain and had a very inexperienced and horrible bowling attack he did an OK job in whiteball considering what he had at his disposal and I am sure his legacy would look a lot different if he had managed to win the Asia cup & T20 WC but alas. It was time for a fresh voice and hopefully, we will get a change in approach.
 
W63L35 said:
Congratulations to all the fans who wanted Baber to step down!!! :D

Hope they are happy now that Shan Masood has taken over! :)
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But you wanted Rizwan to take over

You are no better
 
I'll always have my highest regards for him for supporting and backing Kohli while he was going through the worst phase of his career.
 
Correct decision. His lacklustre captaincy was only going to be exposed further in Australia.
I don't think the new kaptaan will do much better in a place we struggle so much in, but it's a step in the right direction at least
 
batandballbattle said:
Correct decision. His lacklustre captaincy was only going to be exposed further in Australia.
I don't think the new kaptaan will do much better in a place we struggle so much in, but it's a step in the right direction at least
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Scratch that, just found out shan is the new captain. One step forward and five steps back :facepalm:
 
shariqnoor said:
I don't get how Babar's captaincy affected Babar's batting? The guy averages almost 50 across formats as captain.

I do understand removing Babar because he's not a good captain but using the argument that captaincy has affected his batting is ludicrous.

Babar has had one bad tournament with the bat which he's allowed to have. Let's not completely erase his achievements as a batter while being captain.

What I feel about this whole situation is that Babar clearly has been forced to resign. The current PCB setup doesn't have the mandate to make long-term decisions and cannot appoint/sack team management or captains on a whim. Resignation was the only option whereby PCB could then appoint some new people. It's completely shambles at the PCB, which is expected because the whole country is run like this. Why would PCB be an exception?

If Shan Masood is to be appointed as Test captain, then I would rather die on the hill with Babar as captain. How can someone be appointed as captain whose ceiling is 33 against good Test sides on a consistent basis? I hope sanity prevails and Shan isn't the new Test captain.

All signs point towards Shaheen to be appointed captain. Shahid Afridi has been working for that all along and it seems like he will succeed here.
Click to expand...
One bad tournament???

T20 WC 2021 :
6 Matches : 303 Runs @ 126 Strike Rate
Overall : Average
(Even though he's highest run-scorer, but considering his role as an opener, this was an average performance as his SR was the worst among top 5 run-scorers and thats why he wasn't named POTT )

T20 Asia Cup 2022 :
6 Matches : 68 Runs @ 107 Strike Rate
Overall: Flopped

T20 WC 2022 :
7 Matches : 124 Runs @ 93 Strike Rate
Overall : Flopped

Asia Cup 2023 :
4 Matchss : 207 runs ( 151 against Nepal)
@ 98 Strike Rate
Overall : Flopped

2023 WC 2023 :
9 Matches : 320 Runs @ 83 Strike Rate
Overall : Below Average
Didn't finish in the top 20 in runs scored, while entering as the lumber 1 batsman
 
Holy smokes they cannot be real about Shan as captain?! oh man.

Sorry for Babar but he was not fit for the role, just become a great Batsmen, pakistan captaincy just like pakistani politics... is a no win scenario.
 
I m very happy he is no longer Pakistan's captain and I don't have to see him smirking at the toss and post match interview.

Shukar Allah for this wonderful news.
 
imranrizvi85 said:
One bad tournament???

T20 WC 2021 :
6 Matches : 303 Runs @ 126 Strike Rate
Overall : Average
(Even though he's highest run-scorer, but considering his role as an opener, this was an average performance as his SR was the worst among top 5 run-scorers and thats why he wasn't named POTT )

T20 Asia Cup 2022 :
6 Matches : 68 Runs @ 107 Strike Rate
Overall: Flopped

T20 WC 2022 :
7 Matches : 124 Runs @ 93 Strike Rate
Overall : Flopped

Asia Cup 2023 :
4 Matchss : 207 runs ( 151 against Nepal)
@ 98 Strike Rate
Overall : Flopped

2023 WC 2023 :
9 Matches : 320 Runs @ 83 Strike Rate
Overall : Below Average
Didn't finish in the top 20 in runs scored, while entering as the lumber 1 batsman
Click to expand...
So let's completely kick him out of the team based on that.

The whole point is whether it's captaincy that is affecting his batting or not. The guy averages close to 50 across formats as captain which is almost the same as him when he's not captain. I don't want him captain either but his batting is not affected by his captaincy. Batsmen do go through bad patches. Kohli didn't score a century in ODIs for close to a year even after giving up the captaincy.
 
shariqnoor said:
So let's completely kick him out of the team based on that.

The whole point is whether it's captaincy that is affecting his batting or not. The guy averages close to 50 across formats as captain which is almost the same as him when he's not captain. I don't want him captain either but his batting is not affected by his captaincy. Batsmen do go through bad patches. Kohli didn't score a century in ODIs for close to a year even after giving up the captaincy.
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Babar's average is high due to B and c string bowling because pakistan in these few years have been too stubborn to conduct away tours or play in uae.

Big players don't want to play in pakistan so the c team scoring doesn't help.

Barring new Zealand, every other team he fails against if their A side.

His reply Average is around 36 to 38
 
shariqnoor said:
So let's completely kick him out of the team based on that.

The whole point is whether it's captaincy that is affecting his batting or not. The guy averages close to 50 across formats as captain which is almost the same as him when he's not captain. I don't want him captain either but his batting is not affected by his captaincy. Batsmen do go through bad patches. Kohli didn't score a century in ODIs for close to a year even after giving up the captaincy.
Click to expand...
The point is when Babar is captain and playing in major tournaments against full strength teams he is a flop. Babar just stat pads his average against the Nepals and B & C squads. Unless you aren't the same matches as everyone else please provide facts when Babar performed against full strength teams in major tournaments
 
mominsaigol said:
Babar's average is high due to B and c string bowling because pakistan in these few years have been too stubborn to conduct away tours or play in uae.

Big players don't want to play in pakistan so the c team scoring doesn't help.

Barring new Zealand, every other team he fails against if their A side.

His reply Average is around 36 to 38
Click to expand...

imranrizvi85 said:
The point is when Babar is captain and playing in major tournaments against full strength teams he is a flop. Babar just stat pads his average against the Nepals and B & C squads. Unless you aren't the same matches as everyone else please provide facts when Babar performed against full strength teams in major tournaments
Click to expand...
So that's what I'm saying. Let's kick out Babar as a batsman. He's pathetic. :p
 
Swashbuckler said:
Should have seen through the Aus tour, very unfair to make a new captain sacrificial lamb for the Aussies. That one tour is enough to mentally destroy any new captain. Serious question, who would even want that series in his first outing as captain?
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He was told he was going to be sacked as T20 captain but could keep the Test captaincy if he wanted. If, as is expected, they get beat badly in Australia, the Test captaincy would have stripped from him in a few months anyway. So his thinking will be to throw it all in and jump before you are pushed. A fair enough decision. Hopefully he can concentrate on his batting. The only thing that looks likely now is that factions and groups will emerge. A big step backwards for Pakistani cricket. As usual, a knee jerk reaction for not making the semis. All those wanting him sacked and replaced altogether.....I'd understand if Pakistani cricket had any better players but I don't see them anywhere.......
 
shariqnoor said:
So let's completely kick him out of the team based on that.

The whole point is whether it's captaincy that is affecting his batting or not. The guy averages close to 50 across formats as captain which is almost the same as him when he's not captain. I don't want him captain either but his batting is not affected by his captaincy. Batsmen do go through bad patches. Kohli didn't score a century in ODIs for close to a year even after giving up the captaincy.
Click to expand...
You gotta watch him bat rather than look at the stats alone.

he bats with fear and a lot of burden on his shoulders. We need him to come out to the crease with his chest puffed out, swinging his bat and ready to dispatch bowlers.

Perhaps he can bat with more confidence without the burden of the responsibility for the rest of the team on his shoulders.
 
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