“This too shall pass”- Babar Azam steps down from CAPTAINCY in all formats after horrid World Cup campaign, receives mixed reactions 

Babar was announced as T20I captain in 2019. He has been all format captain since 2021.

“This too shall pass”- Babar Azam steps down from CAPTAINCY in all formats after horrid World Cup campaign, receives mixed reactions 

Babar Azam was appointed as T20I captain in 2019 (Image via ESPN)

Pakistan batter and captain, Babar Azam, has announced on his X account on Wednesday (November 15) that he is going to step down from his role of captain in all formats. This move comes after a disastrous 2023 ICC ODI World Cup campaign, where Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals. 

Babar was announced as T20I captain in 2019, ODI captain in 2020 and Test Captain in 2021. In the 43 ODIs he captained, he led his team to victory in 26 of them, but failed to make any impact in the 2023 Asia Cup and 2023 ICC ODI World Cup. 

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He captained 72 T20Is, with the team becoming one of the best T20 sides in the world under his captaincy. Unfortunately, he failed to win any trophies, as Pakistan crashed out of the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cup semi-finals. They failed to win the 2022 Asia Cup as well, losing to Sri Lanka in the finals. 

Today, I am stepping down as the captain of Pakistan in all formats. It's a difficult decision but I feel it is a right time for this call. I will continue to represent Pakistan as a player in all three formats. I am here to support the new captain and the team with my experience and dedication. I want to express my sincere thanks to the Pakistan Cricket Board for entrusting me with this significant responsibility.
Babar Azam in his statement on X.

Babar has a better record in Tests, winning 10 out of the 20 Tests he captained. He started off well, beating South Africa at home and Zimbabwe away. They drew in the West Indies but then lost two home series in a row to Australia and England. Babar’s last assignment as Test C\captain came in the tour of Sri Lanka, which they won with ease. 

Many Pakistan fans back Babar Azam, but Indian fans mock the Pakistani batter 

As Babar announced his decision to step down, the internet had mixed reactions. Many Pakistani fans publicly backed Babar, with various hashtags like “#BabarAzaminmypride” and “#BabarAzamismycaptain” going viral. Many fans also called out the PCB and Zaka Ashraf for working towards getting Babar out of the spot. 

Babar Azam
Babar Azam and Pakistan had a disastrous 2023 Asia Cup and 2023 World Cup (Image via ESPN)

On the other side, Indian Fans had the time of their lives. Many mocked him, saying his resignation was a good thing for Pakistan Cricket. Many also quoted his infamous tweet in support of Virat Kohli as a way to scorn him. 

Check out their reactions here: 

https://twitter.com/ViratianPost/status/1724781786935578681?s=20
https://twitter.com/AbdulRazzaq_PAK/status/1724783329126367451?s=20

With Babar Azam gone, the PCB will start the search for their new captain. When Pakistan were in a rough patch, many sources indicated that the PCB wanted to bring in Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain. The current vice captain, Shadab Khan, would have been in contention but due to poor form he could miss the opportunity. Opener Shan Masood could lead the Test side.

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