Babar Azam to return as Pakistan captain? Here's the reason why

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Babar Azam is set to return as the captain of the Pakistan cricket team after the appointment of Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi as the new PCB chairman. The star batter stepped down from captaincy last year as Pakistan failed to qualify for the World Cup 2023 knockout games.

Pakistan managed to win four matches at the World Cup 2023 amid a lot of tension between players and board members including former PCB chief Zaka Ashraf. There were rumours that Zaka Ashraf was not answering calls from Babar Azam.

Babar stepped down from captaincy across all formats after landing in Pakistan. Shan Masood was named the Test captain, while Shaheen Afridi was given responsibility of the T20I team.

Why can Babar Azam again become Pakistan captain?

Pakistan were whitewashed 3-0 by Australia under the leadership of Shan Masood. Later, in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Pakistan avoided a whitewash by winning the final T20I. Shaheen Afridi failed miserably and looked out of place in his maiden T20I series as Pakistan captain.

With Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi taking charge as the head of PCB for three years, the changes are expected in the team management and captaincy. The development has been confirmed by Pakistan sports journalist Qadir Khawaja..

Babar Azam features in the Pakistan squad across all the three formats, and that again gives him an edge over someone like Masood who failed in his first Test.

Also, Babar Azam has made a name for himself with his batting, and acts as a proper brand ambassador for the Pakistan cricket team. Looking at the decision from the marketing and the branding point of view as well, renaming Babar Azam as captain will be a justified decision.