Pakistan national cricket team all-rounder Imad Wasim has spoken about the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to reappoint Babar Azam as the captain of the white-ball team. He mentioned that he was surprised by the decision which was taken ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Pakistan’s national cricket team has made some surprising decisions in the past few months. One of the most important decisions that was taken was the reappointment of Babar Azam as the captain of the white-ball team ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Babar was removed as the team captain after the Pakistan National Cricket Team had a debacle at the 2023 ICC World Cup. The right-hander was sacked as the white-ball pacer before deciding to step down as the team captain in the longest format of the game as well.

Following Babar’s dismissal, Shaheen Afridi was chosen as the captain of the team in the white-ball format. However, his tenure did not last long as the player had only one series to prove his worth. He faced a 4-1 defeat against New Zealand as captain of the T20I and was later removed as the leader of the team.

Following the dismissal of Shaheen Afridi, the Pakistan Cricket Board reappointed Babar as the captain of the team. However, the decision did not work out as after that, the team suffered disappointing defeats. They failed to win the T20I series against the second-placed New Zealand cricket team.

After that, Pakistan National Cricket Team lost to Ireland and then also lost to England in the T20I series. Babar Azam’s poor run as captain continued as the right-hander struggled to take off in the 2024 T20 World Cup. As captain, he faced defeats against the United States of America and India and then also faced an elimination in the group stage of the tournament.

Babar not only struggled to get going as a leader, but also to get going with the bat. The right-handed bowler failed to score runs. He was heavily criticised by fans and pundits, and the Pakistan cricket board was criticised for reappointing him as leader.

Yes, I was surprised: Imad Wasim on Babar Azam’s re-election as Pakistan captain

Imad Wasim, who played under Babar Azam, spoke about the captain’s re-election. He said he was surprised but it was the selectors’ decision to appoint him as the leader of the team.

Wasim also mentioned that not only he but the entire team was surprised by Babar Azam’s re-election as the team captain. He also denied making any further comments on the matter. In this regard, he stated:

“Yes, I was surprised, but what can I say? Ultimately it is the selectors’ decision, whatever is the best choice, they chose the team, they chose the captain, so yes, I was surprised. Everybody was surprised, to be honest, not just me, but everybody in Pakistan as well. So I can’t say no, but yes, I was surprised.”

Imad Wasim: “I was surprised that Babar Azam was named captain again” #Cricket World Cup #T20 image.twitter.com/1T7EUwVlEs

—Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) September 13, 2024

Babar Azam is currently playing in the domestic tournament in Pakistan. He regained his form and scored a vital half-century in the games against the Lions. He played a vital innings of 76 runs off 79 balls. The right-hander hit 9 fours in his innings and batted at a strike rate of 96.2.