Babar Azam Steps Down; Who Will Be Pakistan's Next Captain?

image-lozup1c9Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy [AP]

In a significant development, Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy across formats on Wednesday. The stylish batter took to Twitter this evening to convey his decision to leave captaincy to his fans across the globe. Although he led Pakistan to the knockouts in consecutive T20 World Cups, his leadership tactics were scrutinised after the Men in Green failed to qualify for the semifinals in the 2023 World Cup. 

So, as Babar has finally resigned, let's see who are the frontrunners to succeed him as Pakistan's captain across formats. 

As per reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board is considering ace speedster Shaheen Afridi for the captain's role in the white-ball formats. 

The left-arm pacer is hailed for his captaincy exploits in the Pakistan Super League, where he led Lahore Qalandars to the title. However, considering his recent fitness issues, we don't reckon he will lead the Test side. 

So, if Shaheen is made the white-ball captain, an experienced player like Mohammad Rizwan could be given the Test captaincy, as he has been active across formats. 

In another move, Pakistan might bring Sarfaraz Ahmed back into the side, as he had stellar success as captain, leading them to a Champions Trophy title in 2017. Furthermore, as reported by Cricket Pakistan, the PCB might also bring Shan Masood back into the scheme of things, announcing him as the Test skipper. 

Thus, there are several candidates to lead Pakistan, with Shaheen and Rizwan being the frontrunners in the race. So, it will be interesting to see who takes over the reins.