Babar Azam accepted Test captaincy on condition he would regain all-format leadership: Report

Pakistan batter Babar Azam reportedly agreed to return as Pakistan's Test captain only after receiving assurances that he could eventually regain leadership across all three formats, according to a Telecom Asia Sport report.

The report said Babar, who had relinquished the captaincy following a dip in batting form a couple of years ago, was approached after Shan Masood's disappointing run as Test skipper.

"Two selectors met Babar before the announcement of the Test captain on July 5 as they had no option other than Babar for red-ball captaincy and Babar accepted the role on condition of getting the captaincy in the other two formats as well," sources told www.telecomasia.net on Monday.

"Babar had always wanted to be sole captain of Pakistan in all three formats, and when he put that condition, the selectors told him that if the team does well in the West Indies and England over five Tests, then he will get the all-format captaincy," sources were quoted as saying in the report.

Shaheen Shah Afridi currently leads Pakistan in the ODI format. According to the report, he too had an unhappy stint in a leadership role after being removed as T20I captain shortly after taking charge.

"Shaheen too had a bitter experience as captain as the current Board sacked him as T20I captain after just one series in 2024 when he lost in New Zealand early that year," a source said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reportedly took nearly two months to decide on the Test captaincy after Shan Masood's tenure yielded 12 defeats in 16 Tests since December 2023.

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Before turning to Babar, the selectors are said to have sounded out Salman Agha, who declined the offer as he did not want to take charge of a side struggling with poor performances and a lack of unity. Salman has also faced criticism for his defensive approach as T20I captain, particularly during the T20 World Cup earlier this year.

Pakistan's campaign ended before the semi-finals after defeats to India in the group stage and England in the Super Sixes.

The report further claimed that Babar had previously rejected the opportunity to captain only the Test side after stepping down from all-format leadership in November 2023.

"When Babar stepped down from the all-format captaincy in November 2023, it was because he did not want to be captain of just the Test side. He was offered to lead in one format, but he declined," said sources.

"At that time, Zaka Ashraf was the chairman of PCB, and after Pakistan crashed out of the 2023 ODI World Cup in India in the first round, he wanted to remove Babar," said sources. "Ashraf had invited Babar for a meeting, but on knowing about Shan already sitting in the chairman's office, Babar decided to step down from all three formats."

Babar's Test captaincy record stands at 10 wins, six defeats and four draws from 20 matches.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan batter Basit Ali believes Babar is likely to return as Pakistan's all-format captain before next year's ODI World Cup.

"A lot of people believe in case Shaheen gets injured and misses a series, Pakistan is likely to appoint Babar as all-format captain. It has already been decided that Salman will not remain T20I captain, a role which will also go to Babar," he was quoted as saying in the report. (IANS)