Pakistan's Babar Azam has resigned as Pakistan captain. Picture: REUTERS, Andrew Boyers
The captain of Pakistan's national cricket team Babar Azam announced that he would step down from the position on Wednesday evening after the country crashed out of the ongoing World Cup in India.
Azam said in a statement: "I am stepping down as the captain of Pakistan in all formats. It is a difficult decision but I feel it is the right time for this call."
The outgoing captain added that he would continue to represent Pakistan as a player and would support the new captain and the team with his experience and dedication.
Thank you for your services - Babar Azam 👑
— Muhammad Rizwan (@IamRizwanPK) November 15, 2023
First captain to beat India in the World Cup.
First captain to make Pakistan number 1 ranked ODI team.#BabarAzam𓃵 #BabarAzam#BabarAzamIsMyCaptain pic.twitter.com/8mhsEoDzB1
He made the announcement after having a meeting with the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Interim Management Committee Zaka Ashraf in the country's eastern city of Lahore.
"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," said the right-hand batsman while mentioning that the national team became world No. 1 under his captaincy.
Although Babar did not mention any reason for his resignation but local media reports said that he was under extreme pressure after the team lost five of their nine games and failed to qualify for the semifinal.
Later in the evening, the PCB announced the appointment of left-hand batsman Shan Masood as the Test captain of the Pakistan men's cricket team, and Shaheen Shah Afridi as Twenty20 skipper.
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