Babar Azam replaces Shaheen Afridi as Pakistan’s white-ball captain ahead of T20 World Cup

Babar Azam is back as the captain for Pakistan's One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket teams. This decision was made by the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) selection committee. The chairman of PCB, Mohsin Naqvi, decided to give Babar the leadership role again in the limited-overs formats. As a result, Shaheen Shah Afridi won't be the T20I captain anymore.

Shaheen had a tough time as captain during the series against New Zealand, which Pakistan lost 1-4. His team, Lahore Qalandars, also didn't make it to the playoffs in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024. Babar will take charge when Pakistan faces New Zealand in a 5-match T20I series from April 18 to April 27 in Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Before this decision, there were rumors that Shaheen was thinking of quitting the captaincy. Reports said he felt let down because he wasn't included in talks about his future as captain. Babar faces a big challenge ahead. Last year, he stepped down as captain after Pakistan couldn't make it to the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup. He faced criticism, especially as he didn't perform well with the bat, failing to score a single century. After the World Cup, he announced his decision to step down from all three formats.

Despite these challenges, Babar has been successful as a T20I captain, winning 42 out of 71 matches. Now, he's back to lead in ODIs and T20Is, while Shan Masood remains the Test captain.