ICC World Cup 2023: Babar Azam’s captaincy in question as Pakistan bows out

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam’s captaincy might be in doubt as the team bowed out of the ICC World Cup 2023 tournament following its defeat by 93 runs against England. However, the captain enjoys strong support from the rest of the team that has advised him not to step down. 

Even as the Pakistan Cricket Board is all set to take a call on Babar Azam’s future as the captain, he has been supported by his teammates who do not want the skipper to step down. "Babar has already spoken to his teammates, and the majority of them advised him not to step down himself. He will come out with a clear line of action once he returns home with the team after failing to make the semi-finals of the World Cup in India. But, he will not step down himself," according to a PCB source who told news agency PTI.

Pakistan, the 1992 champions, finished fifth on the 10-team table, and missed out on a semi-final date. Pakistan has faced stiff criticism from former players and netizens alike, many have even sought a change in leadership. 

But the likes of Imam ul Haq, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf are considered close to the skipper, leading to a strong following in the Pakistani ‘Green Shirts’. There were talks about removing Babar Azam from the Test captaincy last year, but the players were having none of it. 

Pakistan, and by extension Babar Azam, have two more chances of redeeming themselves – the tours to Australia and New Zealand, after the World Cup 2023. 

Azam was made the white-ball captain in 2019, replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed. He was then appointed Test captain in 2021. Babar Azam led his team to the finals of Asia Cup T20 and T20 World Cup last year, but is yet to leave a mark in Tests and ODIs. 

A clearly distraught Babar Azam lashed out at his critics before Pakistan’s match with England. He said it is easy to give advice on TV. “Everyone has their own point of view, their own way of thinking. Everyone is saying something different. He should be like this, or like that…If someone has to give me advice, everyone has my number. It is easy to give advice on TV. If you want to give me some advice, you can message me,”  he had said. 

The 29-year-old skipper, however, conceded that his performance was not up-to-par. Azam, nevertheless, said that he was under no pressure, unlike what people seem to believe. 

Babar Azam made 282 runs in the ICC World Cup 2023, with an average of just over 40. The Pakistan cricket team, whose campaign ended with their match against England, suffered four defeats in eight games. Pakistan’s woes included their shocking defeat against Afghanistan, and a heartbreaking one-wicket loss to South Africa. 

“We were hurt by the defeat in the South Africa match. We should have won the Afghanistan game as well and it’s because of those defeats that we are at this stage,”  Azam had acknowledged. 

Even before their elimination on Saturday, Azam had said that Pakistan should not be written off. “Do you think we have lost all World Cups since 1999?” Azam asked, pointing towards their Asia Cup 2022 and T20 World Cup 2022 campaigns.

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