Courtesy: PCB
Mohsin Naqvi, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), addressed the rumours surrounding Babar Azam, in regards to him being forced to quit Pakistan captaincy by the PCB. The 45-year-old revealed to the reporters in a press conference on Sunday, October 27, that Babar Azam had requested to step down as captain of the Pakistan white-ball setup, squashing all the rumours, while elevating Mohammad Rizwan in the role for the upcoming tours to Australia and Zimbabwe.
The PCB boss spoke about how Babar Azam approached him to convey his decision to step down from captaining the Pakistan white-ball teams, while stating his intention to focus solely on finding his confidence as a player since he was struggling to deliver results with the bat and in the leadership role in recent times. At the same time, Mohsin Naqvi gave the assurance that the position of Babar Azam in the Pakistan cricket team is secure.
Nobody from the PCB contacted Babar Azam or suggested he resign from captaincy: Mohsin Naqvi
During the press conference in Lahore earlier today, Mohsin Naqvi, flanked by Mohammad Rizwan, the new white-ball captain of Pakistan, and two other PCB officials, addressed the rumours surrounding Babar Azam and his departure from captaincy. He was quoted as saying, “Players like him (Babar Azam) only emerge after a long time. He reached out to me about stepping down as captain, but nobody from the PCB contacted him or suggested he resign from captaincy. He took advice from his coaches and then told me that he didn’t want to continue as captain.”
“He (Babar Azam) wants to focus on his game as an individual player for the Pakistan Cricket Team, and we all want him to regain his form,” the PCB chairman further said.
Mohsin Naqvi also addressed the decision from the PCB to pick Mohammad Rizwan as the new white-ball captain of Pakistan. He said, “There was a nearly unanimous opinion that Rizwan should be the captain after Babar and Salman should be vice captains. They were already in talks with selectors, and after that, I met Rizwan yesterday as well. I wish them the best and pray for their success.”
