Babar Azam was left out of the Pakistan squad for the last two Tests vs England. (AFP Photo)

No one from Pakistan board forced Babar Azam to step down as captain: Mohsin Naqvi

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi said that no one from the board forced Babar Azam to relinquish the captaincy of the Pakistan side. Speaking at the press conference on Sunday, October 27, Naqvi unveiled Mohammad Rizwan as the captain of the white-ball team.

27 Oct 2024, 11:49 by India Today Sports Desk · India Today

In Short

PCB announced their new white-ball captain on October 27
Mohammad Rizwan was named as the captain in ODIs and T20Is
Babar Azam was not forced to step down, clarified the PCB chief

Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi has stressed that no one from the board forced Babar Azam to leave the captaincy of the white-ball side. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, October 27, the PCB chair said that leaving captaincy of the white-ball team was Babar's call, which in turn forced the PCB to look for a new leader in the side.

Star batter Babar Azam stepped down as the captain of the white-ball teams of Pakistan on October 2. Babar took to social media to announce resigning from the post in ODIs and T20Is, adding that he had informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the team management of his decision in September.

Babar said captaincy added a 'significant workload' and that by stepping down, he would channel his energy into contributing to the team with the bat. The star batter's decision came shortly after he slipped out of the top 10 in the International Cricket Council Test rankings. Babar has been going through a rare lean patch in international cricket.

In the press conference on October 27, Mohammad Rizwan was announced as the new ODI and T20I captain of the Pakistan team, with Salman Ali Agha announced as his deputy. Naqvi revealed that he had spoken to multiple coaches and mentors in the Pakistan cricketing system, who had agreed that Rizwan was the right person to take the side ahead.

"Babar Azam told me himself that he did not want to continue as captain. No one from the PCB told him to leave captaincy. He discussed it with himself with the coaches and wanted to focus on his performances," Mohsin Naqvi said in the press conference on Sunday.

"We spoke to the 5 mentors of the Champions Cup and the coaches and the majority of them believed that Mohammad Rizwan should be the captain and Salman Ali Agha the vice-captain of the side," he further added.

Pakistan, on Sunday, named their squads for the ODI and T20I series on the tour of Australia and Zimbabwe. Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah were selected for the limited-overs matches in Australia, but were rested for the tour of Zimbabwe.

This marked the trio's return after they were dropped midway through the home Test series against England after the first game of the 3-match series.

Pakistan squad for Australia ODIs

Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Pakistan squad for Australia T20Is

Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan

Pakistan squad for Zimbabwe ODIs