The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly considering Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi as potential candidates to take over as captain after the ongoing World Cup, according to India Today. After beginning the 2023 World Cup strongly with two victories, Pakistan’s performance has taken a downturn, with three consecutive losses. They currently hold the fifth position in the points table.
Their defeat to India was already disheartening, but they faced another blow when they lost to Afghanistan for the first time in their history. Instead of just the outcome, people questioned many of the decisions Babar made while Afghanistan was chasing 283 runs.
As mentioned by a source close to the situation, according to India Today:
“Only if Pakistan can stage a miracle and win all their remaining matches to qualify for the semi-finals of this World Cup does Babar stand any chance of surviving as captain and even then he might be relegated to skipper in just the red ball format.”
Unless there’s an extraordinary turnaround that leads to their semifinal qualification, Babar’s time as captain will probably come to an end.
“It is over for Babar because he has been given unbridled power and authority as captain and more importantly he has always had players of his choice in the team. There has never been any attempt to reduce his authority and so he is now being held solely responsible for the Asia Cup and World Cup defeats,” the source added.
Before the World Cup, Pakistan had a disappointing performance in the Asia Cup, ending up at the bottom of the Super Fours table. In his captaincy career, the 29-year-old has led the team in 130 matches across various formats, with 76 victories, 42 losses, and a win percentage of 58.46%.
Pakistan might consider changing their coaching staff after the World Cup concludes
Besides Captain Babar Azam, it’s rumored that Pakistan might make changes to their current coaching staff, including Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn, Mornie Merkel, Andrew Puttick, and manager Rehan ul Haq, after the World Cup. The outcome of Pakistan’s remaining four league stage matches will likely play a significant role, but it seems likely that substantial changes will be made in the Pakistan setup.
“They are very bright chances that Pakistan will have a new coaching staff and captain when they embark on the Test tour of Australia and for the white ball series in New Zealand after the World Cup. Sarfaraz might win the nod to captain the Test and ODI sides again while Shaheen may get a chance to be the T20 captain,” the source said.
Sarfaraz, although not currently in the World Cup squad, has captained Pakistan in 100 games across different formats, achieving a strong 61% win rate. In contrast, Rizwan has only led the team twice and lost both times, while Afridi has never been Pakistan’s captain. After the World Cup, the Pakistan team will soon head to Australia for a three-Test tour beginning on December 14.
In a crucial match to maintain their World Cup chances, Pakistan faces the in-form South Africa in Chennai on Friday, October 27.
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