"Looking forward to seeing you break more batting records" - Shaheen Shah Afridi after succeeding Babar Azam as Pakistan's T20I captain
Pakistan's newly-appointed T20I skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi hopes to see Babar Azam break plenty of records with the bat after the latter stepped down as captain. Afridi lauded the 29-year-old for bringing a sense of camaraderie and unity to the team during his tenure.
Babar took to his official handle on X (formerly Twitter) to announce his resignation as captain as Pakistan failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup semi-finals in India. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) subsequently announced Afridi as the T20I skipper, and Shan Masood as the Test captain. They are yet to name the ODI skipper.
Taking to X, Afridi, who has captaincy experience in the PSL, wrote:
"Under your exemplary leadership, it's been a privilege to witness true teamwork and camaraderie. Your forefront leadership and commitment to team unity and collective success are commendable. Looking forward to seeing you break more batting records, In sha Allah."
Babar took over as Pakistan captain across formats in 2019, leading Pakistan in 20 Tests, winning 10 and losing six. The Lahore-born cricketer also led the national team in 43 ODIs, winning 26 of them.
As far as T20Is go, he captained the Men in Green in 71 matches and won 42 of them, including taking them to the final of the T20 World Cup 2022.
Babar Azam's indifferent run with the bat in 2023 World Cup
Contrary to expectations, the Pakistan skipper didn't have a great run in the tournament. He finished with 320 runs in nine matches at 40 with four half-centuries. Babar faced plenty of flak for failing to convert his starts into big scores and also for playing at a relatively low strike rate.
The 1992 World Cup winners failed to recover from four consecutive losses after winning the first two games. They broke their losing streak with consecutive wins over Bangladesh and New Zealand. However, they still faced a steep task to qualify for the semi-finals.
Their league match against England in Kolkata saw Jos Buttler winning the toss and opting to bat first, thus diminishing Pakistan's chances significantly.
The Men in Green exited the World Cup with a 93-run defeat to England, finishing fifth in the table.