Rumours regarding batting sensation Babar Azam’s captaincy have been spurring since Najam Sethi took charge as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) interim management committee.
\nWhile reports\u00a0claim that following a magnificent one-day international (ODI) series against New Zealand, PCB has decided to retain Babar as the skipper of the national team, the batter is still “uncertain” about his position.
\nThe 28-year-old skipper has repeatedly said that he doesn’t follow gossips about his captaincy rather he is focused on his performance and team\u2019s performance.
\nIn response to a similar question asked during the post-match press conference last night, Babar said that he hasn’t been informed whether he will stay as the captain or not till the mega event \u2014 World Cup \u2014 scheduled for later this year.
\nThe Tom Latham-captained Black Caps captured a 47-run consolation win in the fifth and final ODI of the series in Karachi on Sunday to avoid a series whitewash and knock Pakistan off their world number one ranking in the format.
\nGreen Shirts defeat means Pakistan’s rise to number one in the ODI rankings lasted just 48 hours and they are now third behind Australia and India.
\nCommenting on the team’s performance in the last ODI, Babar said: “We tried to clean sweep the Black Caps but the way we planned, we couldn’t finish it that way.\u201d
\n\u201cWe planned to finish the series on a better note; however, early wickets led to our defeat,\u201d he lamented.
\n“However, the entire series was outstanding. There were good performances. There were many positives, we were able to check on our bench strength.”
\nThe skipper said that all matches scheduled before the World Cup will provide the team an opportunity to prepare for the mega event.
\nIn response to a question regarding Imam-ul-Haq’s cryptic post, Babar shrugged off the question by saying he hasn\u2019t seen the tweet yet; however, will see the post later.
\nA day earlier, opening batter Imam wrote a cryptic post after he wasn’t included in the playing XI for fifth and last ODI against New Zealand in Karachi.<\/p>\n
\u201cLife is an unexpected journey so never expect anything from anyone\u201d. Be patient, Allah is watching\u2757\ufe0f
\n\u2014 Imam Ul Haq (@ImamUlHaq12) May 7, 2023
\nAfter scoring 90 runs and bagging man-of-the-match award in the third ODI, Imam was dropped from the fourth and fifth ODI.
\nOn Sunday before the last ODI of the series, Imam wrote, \u201cLife is an unexpected journey so never expect anything from anyone\u201d. Be patient, Allah is watching!”
\nRegarding his records, the skipper said that when he achieves a new milestone, he tries to work even harder and not just sits around.
\nThe 4-1 result of the five-match ODI series was a fair reflection of the gulf between the full-strength hosts and a New Zealand squad lacking the services of Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and other top players.
\nHowever, Babar shrugged off these reports saying that the Men in Green don’t play cricket by looking at the number of senior players in any team.
\nA holiday crowd of around 20,000 had come in anticipation of Babar making his 100th ODI memorable but they were left disappointed when Pakistan skipper was caught off a miscued shot off Shipley for a five-ball one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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