"Everybody in Pakistan was surprised, not just me" - Imad Wasim on Babar Azam's reinstation as Pakistan captain
Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim admitted being surprised at Babar Azam's reinstation as skipper of the white-ball side earlier this year. After a lengthy tenure as captain across formats, Babar relinquished captaincy after the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The management decided to go with Shan Masood as Test captain and Shaheen Afridi to lead the T20I side. However, after a lone series defeat in New Zealand in January, Babar replaced Afridi as T20I captain and was appointed to lead the ODI unit.
Speaking in an interview as quoted by Hindustan Times, Imad was asked about Babar's return as captain and he responded:
"Yes, I was surprised. What can I say, it’s ultimately the selector’s call. Whatever they thought was the best option, they picked and they picked the team [accordingly]. Everybody in Pakistan was surprised, not just me. So, I can’t say no that I was not surprised."
While Masood continues to lead the Test side, Babar is still the white-ball skipper despite Pakistan's dismal showing in the recent T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.
"Our performance wasn't up to the mark to be honest and we have to accept that, including myself" - Imad Wasim on 2024 T20 World Cup
Imad Wasim admitted he was disappointed with Pakistan's horrific 2024 T20 World Cup campaign and his own performances in the tournament.
The Men in Green suffered a shocking defeat to minnows USA in their opening game followed by a heartbreaking loss to arch-rivals India. The defeats meant Pakistan were dumped out of the World Cup after the first round, failing to qualify for the Super Eights.
"Yeah, our performance wasn't up to the mark to be honest and we have to accept that, including myself. So yeah, but it is what it is. I think we had a good side, but it didn't click. It can happen in any format, especially T20. But yeah, it was disappointing. I was really disappointed. It took me a long time to get over it," said Imad Wasim.
Imad had a fairly impressive tournament with the ball, finishing with three wickets at an average of 14.66 and an economy rate of four in three outings.
However, he struggled massively with the bat, scoring only 19 runs at an average of under 10 and a woeful strike rate of 65.51.