Speculations about Babar Azam’s captaincy have been circulating since Najam Sethi took over as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s interim management committee.
While sources claim that PCB has decided to retain Babar as the skipper of the national team following a successful one-day international (ODI) series against New Zealand, Babar himself is still unsure about his position. Despite this, the 28-year-old skipper has consistently stated that he is not concerned about gossip surrounding his captaincy and is instead focused on his and the team’s performance.
During the post-match press conference after the fifth and final ODI of the series in Karachi, Babar was asked if he had been informed about his position as captain until the World Cup, which is scheduled for later this year, but he responded that he hadn’t. The Black Caps, led by Tom Latham, won the final ODI by 47 runs, preventing a series whitewash by knocking Pakistan off their world number one ranking in the format.
Babar expressed disappointment at not being able to clean sweep the Black Caps, but he also highlighted the positive aspects of the series, including good performances and the ability to assess the team’s bench strength. Babar believes that all the matches scheduled before the World Cup will provide the team with an opportunity to prepare for the mega event.
When asked about Imam-ul-Haq’s cryptic post, Babar replied that he had not seen it yet but will look at it later. Imam was dropped from the playing XI for the fifth and final ODI against New Zealand in Karachi, despite scoring 90 runs and being awarded man of the match in the third ODI.
Babar also commented on his own records, stating that he tries to work harder when he achieves a new milestone. Despite reports that suggest the Pakistan team relies on the number of senior players in any team they play against, Babar refutes these claims.
In the fifth and final ODI, Babar was caught off a miscued shot off Shipley for a five-ball one, disappointing the holiday crowd of around 20,000 who had come to watch him make his 100th ODI memorable. The 4-1 result of the five-match ODI series was a fair reflection of the gulf between the full-strength hosts and a New Zealand squad that was lacking the services of Kane Williamson, Tim Southee, and other top players.
