Mohsin Naqvi on Rumours of PCB Forcing Babar Azam to Quit Captaincy

Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has spoken out over Babar Azam's decision to resign as the team's white-ball captain on Sunday, October 27. Prior to the Australia tour, Babar was replaced as Pakistan's new white-ball captain by Mohammad Rizwan. Mohsin Naqvi responded to reports that the PCB had pressured Babar Azam to resign as captain after declaring Mohammad Rizwan as the new white-ball captain of the Pakistan cricket team.

On October 2, star batsman Babar Azam resigned as captain of Pakistan's white-ball teams. Babar announced on social media that he was leaving his position in ODIs and T20Is. He also stated that he had communicated his decision to the team management and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in September.

Mohsin gets candid on Babar Azam Captainship:

Mohammad Rizwan replaces Babar Azam as Pakistan’s white-ball captain 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/4irFndZPwc

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 27, 2024

According to Mohsin Naqvi, Babar Azam made this decision on his own initiative rather than in response to pressure from the PCB. The PCB president further asserted that, to the surprise of the cricket community, Babar had openly stated his wish to resign from his position as captain.

Babar claimed that being captain added a "significant workload" and that he would focus his energies on helping the team with the bat if he stepped down. Shortly after dropping out of the top 10 in the International Cricket Council Test rankings, the great hitter made his decision. There has been a rare slump in Babar's performance in international cricket.

Salman Ali Agha was named as Mohammad Rizwan's deputy and Rizwan was named the new ODI and T20I captain of the Pakistani side during the October 27 press conference. Speaking with several coaches and mentors in the Pakistani cricket system, Naqvi disclosed that they all concurred that Rizwan was the best candidate to lead the team.

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