Babar Azam resigns as Pakistan white-ball captain after six months
- Babar Azam announced his resignation from the captaincy of Pakistan's white-ball cricket team, effective immediately.
- He cited the significant workload of captaincy and his desire to focus on personal performance and family time as reasons for his decision.
- This decision follows a series of disappointing performances by the team, including failing to reach the semifinals of the World Cup and a poor showing in recent series.
Babar Azam has officially resigned from his role as captain of Pakistan's white-ball cricket team, a decision he announced on Tuesday. This resignation comes just six months after he was reappointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Babar expressed that the captaincy had become a significant burden, impacting his performance and personal life. He emphasized the need to focus on his batting and spend more quality time with his family. The decision follows a challenging period for the Pakistan cricket team, which included failing to advance to the semifinals of the 50-over World Cup held in India last year. Under Babar's leadership, the team struggled, winning only a bilateral series against Ireland and drawing a home T20 series against New Zealand. The team's performance further declined with a 2-0 loss to England just before the Twenty20 World Cup, where they did not progress past the group stage. Babar's captaincy record includes leading Pakistan in 43 ODIs with 26 wins and 15 losses, as well as 85 T20 matches with a win-loss record of 48-29. Despite his leadership, the team's recent performances have raised questions about the direction of Pakistan cricket. Babar concluded that stepping down would allow him to gain clarity and focus on his personal growth and performance, marking a significant shift in his cricketing career as he aims to return to form.