Babar Azam's Resignation Upsets Struggling PCB's Plans for ODI Captaincy; REPORTS Reveal New Tension

With Babar Azam resigning as captain for a second time and Mohammad Rizwan most likely to replace in limited-overs forms, Pakistan 's cricket environment witnesses a change after regular questionable performances. Babar said he wanted to concentrate on his batting and that although leadership was fulfilling, it added a lot of effort and was struggling reportedly like the board. His choice follows Pakistan's underperformance in most recent competitions, especially in the ODI and the T20 World Cup .

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Report: Babar Azam 's abrupt departure complicates PCB's ODI captain preparations; Kirsten worries about Rizwan

Late Tuesday night, Babar Azam abruptly announced his resignation as captain of Pakistan 's white-ball cricket team. Following a difficult T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year, Pakistan fell short at the group level even with Babar's return as T20I skipper only months previously.

Given this evolution, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering a reorganisation of its leadership and maybe assigning new captains for every game’s format variation according to PTI. This adjustment seeks to better control player workloads considering the hectic international calendar ahead.

Though Babar has been a well-known all-format skipper in Pakistan cricket, some claim his resignation compromised his status in ODI cricket.

Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is seen as a top possibility to assume the white-ball leadership especially considering his continuous selection throughout all forms. However, concerns regarding his ability to handle the demands of both playing and captaining the team impede his path to leadership.

Along with the selection committee, Gary Kirsten, the head coach for white-ball systems, allegedly worries about whether Rizwan can manage the demanding duties of team leadership while simultaneously participating in all kinds of forms. Given Rizwan's many format participation—a major factor for red-ball coach Jason Gillespie and the PCB selectors—this problem is especially relevant to Babar and Shaheen Afridi.

With 18 ODIs and T20Is spanning Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa from November to December combined with a two-Test series in South Africa, Pakistan 's forthcoming playing calendar is challenging. Following a two-Test series against the West Indies in January, the squad will play an ODI tri-series with New Zealand and South Africa and then take part in the ICC Champions Trophy .

Before the Pakistan Super League (PSL) starts, the calendar finishes in New Zealand with a white-ball series. The enormous volume of games begs serious issues regarding Rizwan's capacity to properly perform leadership and playing duties.

The PCB is thinking of assigning a strong vice-captain to help Rizwan or splitting the leadership for ODIs and T20Is to relieve some of his responsibilities. Rizwan would be able to get required breaks using this approach without compromising the team's leadership system. Among those possible captains are Shan Masood, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Afridi, and Shadab Khan. Given Babar's recent issues with confidence and performance, Kirsten has expressed worries about the difficulty of selecting a player qualified for the leadership across all forms.