Premier batter and former limited-overs captain of Team Pakistan, Babar Azam, reportedly lost interest in captaining the team when white-ball coach Gary Kirsten sent the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) a full report on the T20 World Cup fiasco. Notably, it was disclosed that the illustrious South African had expressed disapproval of Azam’s leadership of the national team in that article.
Few insiders therefore asserted that Babar was apparently dissatisfied with the suggestions and observations made by the Green Shirts’ new coach following the publication of this report. Furthermore, Azhar Mahmood, the assistant coach, thought that the captain was the sole one being used as a scapegoat for the World Cup fiasco. Babar Azam eventually informed the board that he would not be continuing as captain for very long in the upcoming times following the report’s public release.
“Babar felt he was the only one being held accountable for the underwhelming performances, and he was not pleased with the observations and suggestions made by Kirsten and even assistant coach Azhar Mahmood. After certain details of Kirsten’s report were made public, he had informed the cricket board that he was not interested in continuing as captain,” India Today cited an insider as saying.
In response to the critique outlined in the report that was sent in, the former captain of Pakistan went up to a few PCB representatives and expressed his displeasure that the board had not only shown him no faith and trust but also had not taken into account his prior accomplishments and performances. Furthermore, according to a different insider, it was time for the star hitter to give up his leadership position because he was not named captain for the ODI format, with the exception of the T20I format, in which he was officially named captain for the T20 World Cup event.
The PCB head wants Kirsten and associates to select Pakistan’s next captain for limited overs.
In addition, Gary Kirsten provided insight into the conditions in the locker room and the unwelcome actions of certain players throughout the England series and the World Cup held in the Caribbean. In addition, he shared his thoughts on Babar’s leadership performance in high-stress scenarios. Prior to selecting a new Pakistani captain for the white-ball cricket team, the PCB is now in a wait-and-watch mode. The board has really placed the onus of choosing the team’s leader in the hands of the head coach and the selectors.
Also Read: Babar Azam resigns as Pakistan’s captain, cites workload among other concerns
“Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi has made it clear he wants minutes of all official discussions by the selection committee that includes both foreign head coaches to be recorded so that a clear reason is on record for making the appointment,” the insider said.
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