Reports: Pakistan’s white-ball captain, Muhammad Rizwan, will take Babar Azam’s spot

It seems probable that Babar Azam would be replaced as Pakistan’s white-ball captain prior to the November away series against Australia. The ace batsman gave up his spot in all three formats after failing to assist his side advance to the ODI World Cup 2023 semifinals. Shan Masood was given the baton in red-ball cricket, while Shaheen Shah Afridi was named the T20I captain.

Before the T20 World Cup in 2024, the new administration led by Mohsin Naqvi chose to reassign Babar as white-ball captain, although the decision had little effect. The Men in Green were eliminated from the competition after failing to defeat the USA and India. There was also debate about Babar’s form. In order to give him more time to concentrate on his batting, PCB is thinking of firing him because he failed to set an example and did not show much improvement in the most recent Test series against Bangladesh.

PCB is reportedly thinking about selecting Muhammad Rizwan to skipper all three game types, according to Geo News.

The keeper-batter has performed admirably for Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), leading the team to two consecutive final appearances.

The Champions One Day Cup, a domestic competition to find future talent, was recently introduced by PCB. The event will also feature veteran players, with five captains selected: Mohammad Haris, Rizwan, Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Saud Shakeel. It’s interesting to note that Babar wasn’t chosen as one of the leaders, which would indicate that PCB isn’t thinking about having him captain.

Also Read: Champions One-Day Cup 2024: PCB announces captains and provisional squads for debut edition

According to the article, Babar was informed of the decision in July. PCB conferred with Gary Kirsten, the head coach of white-ball, before making the choice. When Pakistan announces their team for the Australia series, which is scheduled to start on November 4, the decision is anticipated to be made public.