Babar Azam likely to be removed as Pakistan’s white-ball skipper: Reports

Less than 10 months after being reinstated as the captain of the country’s white-ball sides, Babar Azam looks likely to be removed as Pakistan skipper.

Geo News reports that Babar’s days as Pakistan’s white-ball skipper are numbered, with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision not to appoint him as skipper for any of the sides for the Champions One Day Cup being the clearest indication that the 29-year-old is on his way out.

On September 6 (Friday), the PCB announced the captains for the revamped 50-over domestic competition, and Babar was not among the five captains named despite being the incumbent skipper of the national white-ball side. The right-hander will instead play under the captaincy of youngster Mohammad Haris for the Stallions side, which is coached and mentored by his former teammate Shoaib Malik.

However, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, and Saud Shakeel have been picked to lead their respective sides in the competition.

According to Geo News, Rizwan, at this point, looks to be the favourite to take over from Babar and could very well lead Pakistan in the 2025 Champions Trophy at home.

“Discussions will take place regarding Mohammad Rizwan's name for captaincy and if an agreement is reached, Rizwan could potentially become the captain in all three formats in the future,” the report claimed.

Babar stepped down as the white-ball captain in the aftermath of Pakistan’s disastrous showing in the 50-over World Cup, where they failed to make it to the semi-finals. The PCB, as a result, appointed Shaheen Shah Afridi as the captain of the T20I side.

However, earlier this year, ahead of the T20 World Cup, the PCB sacked Shaheen and handed over the reins once again to Babar. 

That move, however, did not prove fruitful, with Pakistan failing to make it to the Super 8s of the competition, getting knocked out in the group stages on the back of a loss to United States. The group stages also saw Pakistan throw a game away to India from a winning position.

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