Babar Azam to resume as Pakistan’s white-ball captain after Shaheen Afridi’s series loss

Shaheen Afridi’s brief stint as Pakistan’s white-ball captain has come to an end after his team suffered a 4-1 defeat in the recent series against New Zealand. Babar Azam, who had previously stepped down from the captaincy last year, has been reinstated as the short-format captain for Pakistan.

Afridi, who took over the captaincy for the T20 series against New Zealand, faced a disappointing outcome as his team struggled to secure victories. Following the series loss, it was decided that Azam would resume his role as captain, with the Pakistan Cricket Board announcing the decision on social media.

The decision to replace Afridi with Azam was influenced by Afridi’s performance as captain in the Pakistan Super League, where his team Lahore Qalandars finished last in the tournament. The new chair of the PCB, Mohsin Naqvi, reportedly did not have a favorable opinion of Afridi’s leadership.

Azam’s first assignment as captain will be a five-match T20 series against New Zealand at home, scheduled to begin on April 18. Pakistan will also play T20 matches against Ireland and England before the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies in June.

In addition, Sky Sports has secured a new four-year deal to broadcast the IPL and WPL live from 2024-27. Cricket fans can catch all the action on Sky Sports Cricket, with streaming options available for non-Sky subscribers.

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