Babar Azam’s chances of becoming the Test captain have taken a huge blow after Pakistan’s disastrous performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

The right-handed batsman captained Pakistan in all formats until last year before stepping down after the Men in Green’s disastrous performance in the ODI World Cup. He was later replaced by Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi as Test and T20I captains respectively.

However, he replaced Afridi as T20I captain in April this year. Afridi led Pakistan in just one series before being dismissed. Speculation was rife that Babar would also be reappointed Test captain, but it now seems highly unlikely after Pakistan’s performance in the T20 World Cup.

The Men in Green were eliminated from the tournament in the group stage after suffering defeats against the United States and India. Ahead of the T20 World Cup, Pakistan also struggled in bilateral assignments. In April, they could only draw the five-match series at home against a second-tier team, New Zealand.

Last month, they lost a T20I against Ireland before being thrashed 2-0 by England. Babar Azam’s poor performance with the bat has only made things worse for him. He has faced severe criticism for his poor batting performance and there have been calls from various quarters to sack him as T20I captain as well.

Shan Masood to continue as Test captain:

According to a Geo News report, Shan Masood is likely to retain his position as Pakistan’s Test captain for the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh. The report states that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PBC) is disappointed in Babar’s ability to lead.

Under Masood’s captaincy, Pakistan suffered a whitewash in the three-Test series in Australia but the left-handed batsman is likely to get at least one more series to prove his captaincy skills.

Meanwhile, Pakistan would look to end their T20 World Cup campaign on a winning note. The Men in Green will face Ireland in their final group match on Sunday (June 16).