Pakistan cricket has dug itself into a hole, an endless loop that has haunted them over the last couple of years. The more they want to get themselves out of the pits, the deeper they seem to dig for themselves. On Tuesday night, when the Sub-Continent population was winding down for a good sleep after a tiring day, Babar Azam decided to drop a bombshell which very few could have predicted.
Babar has resigned for the second time in less than 12 months as the skipper of the Pakistan team. The last time he quit was back in November 2023, when he resigned from all three formats. This time around, he called it a day from limited-overs cricket. Pakistan's Test cricket is not in the best of shape either. Shan Masood has tasted defeats in all five Tests as skipper since taking over from Babar last year.
That Pakistan have found it a challenge to win Tests at home has only added to their woes. It should not raise an eyebrow, though, if Masood's position as captain comes under the scanner in case Pakistan slump to defeat in their series against England right after their disastrous series against Bangladesh. For now, though, Pakistan are once more back in a dilemma about who to appoint as the new ODI and T20I captain.
PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi had relearned faith in Babar and reappointed him the skipper at the start of the year. But Babar had a horrifying time after Pakistan played like complete failures in the Men's T20 World Cup, failing to show their prowess beyond the group stage. With Babar giving up the ghost, Pakistan keep getting strangled in the musical chair of captaincy.
Pakistan don't have many options to play around with. Neither do they have much time as their ODI series in Australia begins on November 4 with the T20Is from November 14. From the existing lot, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Mohammad Rizwan are the likely candidates Pakistan may consider for their national team's cap in the shorter formats.
Shaheen had replaced Babar as the T20I skipper last year after tasting success with the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). But after a solitary series defeat to New Zealand, Shaheen was shown the door as their captain. It was then that Babar was recalled to take charge.
Aman Khan did it, but Shadab Khan batted for Islamabad United to go all the way in PSL 2024, and with the Panthers as well when they won the Champions Cup on the Iqbal Stadium ground in Faisalabad. But he has had his ups and downs as he could not hold down his place in the national side since the ODI World Cup 2023 held on Indian soil.
The same is the case with Rizwan, who has fared well in the PSL for Multan Sultans besides Pakistan. Though he never led the Pakistan one-day side or T20I team, he did captain them in the two Tests against New Zealand in 2020-21. Rizwan looks to be the most viable candidate to take the baton from Babar, with Australia now knocking on the door.
Stepping down, said Babar, would free him from the 'significant workload' that comes with captaincy. Once on top of his game, Babar was the only batter to have an average of more than 50 in all three formats for Pakistan. But in the last two years, he, somehow, has lost the Midas touch. Runs have dried up from his bat even in batting-friendly conditions.
Since January 2023, Babar averages Test cricket much lower - at 21.13 than he's had his career average at 44.51. In ODIs, where he presently sits atop the No.1 ranking, Babar averages 46.30 in that period, but considerably low when compared with an all-round average of 56.72. Average runs in T20Is stood at 39.50 while his strike-rate has been the one that has caused a furore. Virender Sehwag said he isn't fit to play for Pakistan.
Once the best in the world, Babar has gone off the boil quite a bit. Unlike Pat Cummins, Rohit Sharma, Ben Stokes, et al, Babar does not find his involvement brought out the best in him. Babar not getting runs also meant Pakistan looked crippled with an unstable middle-order that has given them enough headaches.
But now, with the monkey of captaincy off his back, Babar has given himself a lifeline to rediscover himself and return to where he belongs-right on top of the world. On the other hand, Pakistan cricket keeps gasping for breath as troubles keep mounting on them.
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