Yesterday was a high point—even by the criteria Pakistani cricket sets for pandemonium. Babar Azam resigned reluctantly as Pakistan captain in all forms, setting in motion a rapid overhaul that followed a lengthy discussion at PCB headquarters at the Gaddafi Stadium. Let’s examine the events and their implications for Pakistani cricket.
Let’s start with the obvious: why did Babar Azam quit?
Well, after bad ODI World Cup campaigns, there’s usually a degree of change. Grant Flower, Pakistan’s batting coach, and head coach Mickey Arthur were fired after their team missed out on the semi-finals in 2019. Sarfaraz Ahmed departed as the ODI captain in less than a year.
Babar’s captaincy was under pressure, and his decision-making, especially in crucial moments during games, continued to be a source of concern. Babar’s selection as Pakistan’s captain wasn’t based on his technical skill, which was seen as a weakness in his game. Instead, at the time he was the only surefire all-format starter and the best batter on the team.
He supervised a dismal recent run of form for the Test team, which included home losses to Australia and England—the latter being Pakistan’s first-ever home rout. Pakistan’s first Test wins in a year came after a home series draw with New Zealand and an emphatic 2-0 victory away in Sri Lanka. Except for his inaugural series as captain in January 2021, Babar never led his team to victory in a Test match at home.
Pakistan was seen as a letdown after placing fourth in the 2023 Asia Cup and losing five of their nine games—including one against Afghanistan—in the 2023 World Cup, which eliminated them in the first round.
You say it’s a reluctant resignation?
There’s not much proof that Babar really wanted to retire. He expressed his desire to spearhead the rebuilding to Michael Atherton during the post-match presentation after Pakistan’s World Cup final, and he repeated that sentiment during the press conference. The PCB claimed to have informed him yesterday of its decision to remove him from the white-ball captaincy and given him the option to retain the position for Test cricket. After that, Babar seems to have decided to step down across formats after realizing what was written on the wall.
Even if he is still vital to Pakistan’s success at the bat, Babar Azam has not been enjoying his time as captain lately.
Even if he is still vital to Pakistan’s success at the bat, Babar Azam has not been enjoying his time as captain lately.• Getty Images/ICC
Whoa, this is the management committee in interim. Can a captain truly be fired by it?
Very unlikely not. While Zaka Ashraf is now carrying out that responsibility, he is also the temporary head of the PCB management committee, a position that the caretaker prime minister of Pakistan had prolonged for three months. The PCB chairman has the power to nominate and remove captains. A Pakistani court decided that the committee could only function as a caretaker and lacked the authority to make major changes while it was in office.
Babar had to voluntarily resign in order to be removed from his position as captain. In theory, if he had declined, he would have continued to lead Pakistan in all formats and the PCB would not have had a way to get rid of him.
There would still be one option, though: just not choosing him. But that always seemed unworkable for obvious reasons related to cricket.
So who takes his place? Is it the same individual in all formats?
We already know that’s not the case. There was something eerily contrived about the PCB’s resignation. In less than 60 minutes, it named Shan Masood as the new Test captain, summoning him to the PCB headquarters in Lahore notwithstanding the committee’s purported invitation to Babar to remain as Test captain. The captain of the T20Is is Shaheen Afridi. It also named Shaheen the ODI skipper on social media, a moment that summed up this PCB administration so well, before the image was quickly removed. Later on, it stated that the announcement of the ODI skipper would come “in due course”.
Mickey Arthur was fired following the 2019 World Cup, as you said. Now what is his deal? Is he still playing cricket for Pakistan?
Yes and no, then. The PCB declared that head coach Grant Bradburn and team director Mickey Arthur had been “reassigned” to different positions. Though ESPNcricinfo knows this means neither will travel to Australia for Pakistan’s next assignment, a three-match Test series, next month, there is no information available regarding what they have been reassigned to perform.
So why not fire coaches who refuse to travel with the team?
Because the board most likely cannot at this time. Furthermore, it probably goes outside the purview of this PCB management committee’s authority. The PCB must retain Arthur and Bradburn if they do not tender their resignations, as Babar did. It is acknowledged that neither party is likely to resign very soon.
So, in Australia, who will coach in their place?
On Tuesday, Zaka Ashraf met with Mohammad Hafeez among others, and it appears that the meeting went well because he extended an offer to hire Arthur. Hafeez is expected to travel to Australia and New Zealand with the team after assuming the role of team director. There is still no chief selector and no head coach for that tour has been announced by the PCB. Wahab Riaz and Younis Khan are said to be the front-runners for such positions.
All of this feels really disorganized. When will the PCB have an administration with the authority to really make decisions?
When Ashraf took over, we assumed we would have one by now. However, because Pakistan’s caretaker government had extended its tenure beyond the three months allowed by the constitution, the caretaker prime minister also granted Ashraf and the management committee an additional three months.
That should see us through to Pakistan’s scheduled national elections in February. Following PCB elections, a full PCB administration will hold all of its customary powers, and any prime minister that comes from those will be able to select a PCB chairman.
For Bradburn, Masood, Shaheen, Arthur, Babar, and Bradburn, what does this mean?
It only means that everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours may go back. Good news for Bradburn and Arthur may arrive in February if Najam Sethi, who is expected back as chairman, reappears. He had openly expressed his wish for Pakistan to employ foreign coaches, and he had been pursuing Arthur for some months before securing an agreement for his return. In addition, he would be able to name and dismiss any coach or captain.
Does this mean that these modifications will only be implemented during the Australian tour?
Yes, that and the next five Twenty20 international matches in New Zealand. After that, all is up in Pakistani cricket as usual.
