Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed on Thursday that no decision has yet been made on Babar Azam’s future as white-ball captain of the team.
Naqvi stated that the decision on Babar’s future will be made as he consults the white-ball head coach, Gary Kirsten, and former cricketers. He held his tongue from revealing the names of the cricketers that he had been talking to for the betterment of Pakistani cricket.
“There is, however, no decision taken so far related to Babar Azam,” the top cricket official, who also serves as the country’s interior minister, told reporters in Lahore, as quoted from Geo News.
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“I’m only speaking to those former cricketers who are interested in the betterment of Pakistan cricket,” he added.
After reaching the final of the T20 World Cup in 2022, Pakistan suffered a shock exit from the tournament in the group stage of the recently concluded marquee event.
They suffered successive defeats in their opening group clashes against the co-hosts, the USA and their bitter rivals, India. The Babar-led side won the remaining two games against Canada and Ireland. But it wasn’t enough to seal their ticket for the next round in the Caribbean.
With Pakistan struggling to deliver against top sides in the white-ball format, a top PCB official last month stated that “major surgery” was required due to the team’s ongoing struggles.
With former cricketers and Pakistan fans waiting for the new changes, Naqvi stated that making decisions in haste could cause more damage instead of making the situation better.
“People are asking about surgery, but one should not take any decision while you are angry. Hasty decisions can prove to be harmful more often than not,” Naqvi noted.
On Wednesday, reports surfaced that head coach Kirsten had submitted a report on the team’s performance in the T20 World Cup. The PCB chief confirmed that a detailed report was submitted by Kirsten.
“Kisten has also submitted a detailed report on the Pakistan team’s performance in the T20 World Cup,” Naqvi added.
After the T20 World Cup heartbreak, Pakistan will play their next white-ball series against Australia in November.