Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi clarified on Thursday that no decision has been made regarding Babar Azam's tenure as captain of the white-ball team. Naqvi mentioned that the decision on Babar's role will be determined after consulting with the white-ball head coach, Gary Kirsten, and several former cricketers. He refrained from disclosing the names of the cricketers he has been consulting for the improvement of Pakistani cricket.
"There has been no decision made yet concerning Babar Azam," stated the senior cricket official, who also holds the position of the country's interior minister, as reported by Geo News. "I am only consulting with those former cricketers who are keen on the advancement of Pakistan cricket," he further added.
Following their journey to the final of the T20 World Cup in 2022, Pakistan experienced an unexpected early exit from the recent major tournament in the group stage. They faced consecutive defeats in their initial group matches against the co-hosts, the USA, and their arch-rivals, India. The team, led by Babar, managed victories in the remaining two matches against Canada and Ireland but failed to secure a spot in the next round in the Caribbean.
As Pakistan grapples with performance issues against top teams in the white-ball format, a high-ranking PCB official recently mentioned the need for "major surgery" due to the team's continuous struggles. Amidst expectations from former cricketers and fans for new changes, Naqvi cautioned that hasty decisions could exacerbate the situation rather than improve it.
"People are discussing surgery, but decisions should not be made in anger. Hasty decisions often lead to more harm than good," Naqvi observed. On Wednesday, it was reported that head coach Kirsten had submitted a comprehensive report on the team's performance in the T20 World Cup. The PCB chief confirmed the receipt of a detailed report from Kirsten.
After the disappointment of the T20 World Cup, Pakistan is set to face Australia in their next white-ball series in November.
