Babar Azam: Turmoil continues in Pakistan cricket as star batsman steps down as captain

Batsman says he wants to 'focus more energy on my game and personal growth'

Babar Azam has stepped down as Pakistan captain again. AFP

Pakistan cricket was plunged into further chaos as star batsman Babar Azam resigned from white-ball captaincy for a second time in 11 months, citing a need to reduce his workload and focus on improving his game.

Babar stepped down as captain of all three formats last year after Pakistan failed to make the knockout stage of the 50-over World Cup. He returned as white-ball skipper in March ahead of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean where Pakistan failed to make it to the Super Eight stage.

Pressure has been mounting on Pakistan players after a prolonged drought in international cricket that has seen them drop down to eighth in Test rankings and seventh in T20 standings. Babar has faced a significant portion of that pressure and has now decided to step away from a leadership position that has been heavily contested.

"It's been an honour to lead this team, but it's time for me to step down and focus on my playing role," Babar wrote in a post on X."Captaincy has been a rewarding experience, but it's added a significant workload. I want to prioritise my performance, enjoy my batting, and spend quality time with my family, which brings me joy. By stepping down, I will gain clarity moving forward and focus more energy on my game and personal growth."

After Babar stepped down as all-formats captain, fast bowler Shaheen Afridi briefly led Pakistan in the T20 format but was removed from the captaincy after Pakistan lost 4-1 to New Zealand.

The new Pakistan board chairman Mohsin Naqvi reappointed Babar as white-ball captain in March, but he could only win a bilateral series against Ireland 2-1.

Pakistan drew the home T20 series against New Zealand 2-2 before losing 2-0 to England just ahead of the T20 World Cup, where Pakistan failed to get past the opening round after losing to co-hosts United States in a Super Over and archrivals India while chasing just 119.

Babar has been feeling the pressure as a batsman as well. He has not hit a half-century in his last 16 Test innings, even though he scored heavily in the recent domestic Champions Cup One-Day Tournament. There as well, Babar did not lead the Stallions team and played under the captaincy of Mohammad Haris.

Overall, Babar has captained Pakistan in 43 ODIs, winning 26 and losing 15. He also led Pakistan in 85 T20s with a win-loss record of 48-29.

Pakistan won just six of the 13 T20 matches they played under Babar in his second stint and were in desperate need of a new direction in white-ball cricket.

Pakistan will host England in three Tests starting in Multan on Monday, before travelling to Australia for ODI and T20 matches in November. Shan Masood is the red-ball captain of Pakistan.

Fast bowler Afridi could return as captain of Pakistan's white-ball team as he has the experience of leading successfully at domestic level. Also, he is one of the few certainties in Pakistan's white-ball squad, making him a straightforward choice.