Sethi ends speculation surrounding Babar's position as all format captain of national team

Lahore: Najam Sethi, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, put an end to the speculation surrounding Babar Azam's position as the all-format captain of the national team.

 In a tweet, Sethi urged everyone to support Azam and not to make the matter controversial in the interests of the team. However, he did not offer complete backing to Azam, acknowledging that he had weighed the pros and cons of removing him and would be guided by the selectors and head coach.

1/3 For months media and cricketing circles have been discussing pros and cons of retaining Babar Azam as captain in all formats of the game. Since this decision is ultimately Chairman’s, I have sought views of Selection Committees headed by Shahid Afridi and now Haroon Rashid.

— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) April 10, 2023

The decision to retain Azam as the captain has been a topic of discussion for several months in the media and cricketing circles, according to Sethi. As the final decision rests with the Chairman, Sethi sought the views of Selection Committees headed by Shahid Afridi and Haroon Rashid, both of whom agreed that the status quo should be maintained. Sethi publicly stated this position and noted that his decision would be subject to the success or failure of the current state of affairs. He would also be guided by the advice of the Selectors, Director Cricket Ops, and Head Coach going forward.

Pakistan rested several senior players, including Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Afridi for a recent T20I series against Afghanistan, with Shadab Khan taking over as the captain. However, Pakistan lost the series 2-1. As the team prepares for a white-ball series against New Zealand, the seniors have returned to the squad, and Azam has resumed his role as captain.