Azhar Ali: “Thank you Babar Azam for your efforts as captain for Pakistan. I am sure this won’t be your last time that you captain Pakistan. Everything happens for good and for learning”
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Former batsman Azhar Ali firmly believes that this won’t be the last time Babar Azam captains Pakistan.
Azam stepped down as skipper in all three formats following his side’s elimination from the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Even though the 29-year-old has lost his leadership role, Azhar feels that it is very possible he could return at some point in the future.
“Thank you Babar Azam for your efforts as captain for Pakistan. I am sure this won’t be your last time that you captain Pakistan. Everything happens for good and for learning,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the World Cup, Azam accumulated 320 runs in nine matches, which included four fifties, at an average of 40.
Pakistan won their first two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before falling to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Despite fighting back to beat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they could not make it to the semi-finals.
The men in green concluded their campaign on a low as England smashed them by 93 runs.
Azam will now represent Pakistan in their three-match Test series against Australia, which starts on December 14 in Perth.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi