Pakistan men’s cricket team captain Babar Azam has stepped down from his post in all three formats after a disastrous World Cup campaign in India. Babar took to social media to post a statement wherein he said it was a ‘difficult decision’ but the right time to make the call.

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Babar announced his decision shortly after he met Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) interim management committee chairman Zaka Ashraf in Lahore on Wednesday (Nov 15) afternoon. 

“Today, I am stepping down as the captain of Pakistan in all formats. It’s a difficult decision but I feel it is a right time for this call,” wrote Babar on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“I want to express my sincere thanks to the Pakistan Cricket Board for entrusting me with this significant responsibility,” Babar added.

In the farewell note, Babar also recalled the first time he was asked by the PCB to don the captain’s hat nearly four years ago. 

“I vividly remember the moment when I received the call from PCB to lead Pakistan in 2019. Over the past four years, I’ve experienced many highs and lows on and off the field but I wholeheartedly and passionately aimed to maintain Pakistan’s pride and respect in the cricket world.”

As a captain, Babar attributed reaching the number one spot in the white-ball rankings as one of the highlights of his tenure. The Pakistan no. 3 batter said he will continue to turn up for the country in all formats and extend full support to the new captain.

“I will continue to represent Pakistan as a player in all three formats. I am here to support the new captain and the team with my experience and dedication.”

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Pakistan’s poor showing in the World Cup

Although Babar didn’t explicitly specify what was the reason behind his resignation, it comes after Pakistan’s abysmal performance in the World Cup.

The men-in-green lost five of their nine games, including a humbling defeat against arch-rivals India. The team also lost to neighbours Afghanistan and could not qualify for the knockouts, finishing in the fifth spot on the points table. 

Pakistan as a unit looked miles behind the pace when compared to other teams. The subcontinent team was found guilty of playing an archaic brand of cricket in ODIs which boils down to the personality of the captain, experts argued. 

Sword had been dangling over Babar’s captaincy even during the World Cup when PCB chief met Sarfaraz Khan, fanning rumours that the former captain was being prepared to take over the reins once again from Babar. 

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