Babar Azam Mentions "Past Experience" After Being Reinstated As Pakistan Test Captain
Babar Azam has begun his second stint as Pakistan Test skipper with a two-match series against the West Indies. Earlier this month, the veteran batter replaced Shan Masood in the role.
Babar Azam has begun his second stint as Pakistan Test skipper with a two-match series against the West Indies. Earlier this month, the veteran batter replaced Shan Masood in the role. Babar had led the team to 10 wins in 20 Tests before Masood was handed the captaincy. Babar's tenure as skipper started with a 2-0 home win over South Africa, and Pakistan also went on to sweep Bangladesh and Sri Lanka away from home. As captain, Babar averaged over 50 runs per innings in Test cricket, and his only blemish came against England when Pakistan lost 3-0 at home.
Before starting his second captaincy stint, Babar said, "There is no pressure. I am confident, and the responsibility has been given to me again. The main thing is that you have to get the players to perform.
"The only thing that matters to me is that Pakistan wins. My past experience as the captain taught me a lot, and I will try to make the right decisions for Pakistan cricket."
Masood's firing seemed inevitable after the team fell to 12 defeats in 16 matches during his tenure, which began when he initially replaced Babar in late 2023.
"We wanted to look for a captain who could lead the team in a much better way," selector Aaqib Javed told reporters on the decision.
"Shan's individual performance was good, but as captain, we weren't getting the desired results."
Javed said the selection committee was unanimous in recommending Babar as captain, and no other player came up in the discussion.
Pakistan's results in Test matches took a sharp decline after Masood lost 3-0 to Australia in his first series. Pakistan also lost 2-0 to Bangladesh at home for the first time, and the only series win under Masood's captaincy came against England at home when Pakistan won 2-1. Eventually, Pakistan finished at the bottom of the last World Test Championship points table.
Javed pointed out several shortcomings of the Pakistan team in Test matches under Masood's leadership, including losses against South Africa and the West Indies.
"The captain has a responsibility of finishing the games," Javed said.
"Some things are the responsibility of the team, some are the responsibility of the selectors, and some are the responsibility of the captain. The captain's responsibility also includes maintaining the team's over rate, taking DRS decisions, and making the right call at the toss."
Masood had a fair time with the bat during his captaincy as he scored two centuries and seven half-centuries, including back-to-back fifties at Melbourne against Australia.
Pakistan Cricket Team
Babar Azam