Babar Azam has announced that he is stepping down as the captain of the Pakistan cricket team in all formats. He made the announcement following Pakistan's disappointing performance at the 2023 Cricket World Cup, where they failed to qualify for the knockout stages.
Azam said that he had taken the decision after "careful consideration" and that it was "in the best interests of the team." He added that he would continue to play for Pakistan as a batsman and that he would be "fully supporting" the new captain.
Azam's decision to step down as captain is a major blow for Pakistan cricket. He is widely considered to be one of the best batsmen in the world and is highly respected by his teammates. He is also one of the most popular figures in Pakistani cricket.
It is not yet clear who will replace Azam as captain. However, it is likely to be one of the senior players in the team, such as Shoaib Malik or Mohammad Hafeez.
Pakistan's next major assignment is a two-Test series against Australia in December. It will be a tough test for the new captain and the team as a whole.
In addition to the above, here are some other interesting facts about Babar Azam:
- He is the youngest player to score a century on debut for Pakistan in an ODI match.
- He is the only batsman to score centuries in all three formats of the game in a single year.
- He is the second-fastest batsman to reach 10,000 runs in ODI cricket.