Babar Azam's hopes of regaining the Test captaincy have suffered a significant setback following Pakistan's disappointing performance at the T20 World Cup. Sources within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have indicated that Shan Masood will retain the Test captaincy for the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh in August.
The decision to retain Masood as Test captain is reportedly based on the PCB's dissatisfaction with Babar's leadership abilities, particularly in the wake of Pakistan's early exit from the T20 World Cup. The tournament saw Pakistan suffer consecutive defeats to the USA and India, effectively ending their chances of reaching the Super 8 stage.
Masood was initially appointed as Test captain after Babar relinquished the captaincy in all formats following Pakistan's disappointing performance at last year's ODI World Cup. Shaheen Afridi was subsequently named as the T20I captain, but his brief tenure ended in April this year after Pakistan's 4-1 series defeat to New Zealand.
Prior to the T20 World Cup, Babar was reinstated as the white-ball captain in a move described by the PCB as a "strategic decision." However, the move failed to yield the desired results, with Pakistan crashing out of the tournament in the group stage.
The PCB's decision to retain Masood as Test captain is a clear indication of their lack of confidence in Babar's leadership abilities. The upcoming Bangladesh series will be the first assignment for former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie as Pakistan's red-ball head coach.
Tags: #BabarAzam, #ShanMasood, #PakistanCricket, #TestCaptaincy, #T20WorldCup
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