AB de Villiers breaks silence on Babar Azam's resignation as Pakistan white-ball captain

Former South African captain and legendary batter AB de Villiers shared his reaction after Babar Azam's resignation as Pakistan's white-ball captain. AB de Villiers reacted positively and congratulated Babar Azam on his decision to step down from the white-ball captaincy via social media account.

Babar Azam's decision to step down as Pakistan's white-ball captain surprised the cricket world. He announced a social media post. Babar revealed that he decided to resign from the leadership role to focus more on his performance as a player for the Pakistan cricket team.

“Dear Fans, I’m sharing some news with you today. I have decided to resign as captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team, effective as of my notification to the PCB and Team Management last month,” Babar Azam wrote in his statement on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday, October 2.

Congrats, Babar Azam Has Been Great - AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers backed Babar Azam's decision to step down as Pakistan's white-ball captain. De Villiers hoped that Babar would now be able to focus more on his batting and score more runs for his team.

The South African cricket legend congratulated Babar on his leadership, saying, "Congrats. You’ve been great. Now for plenty more runs for your team."

Congrats. You’ve been great. Now for plenty more runs for your team💪

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) October 2, 2024

Mohammad Rizwan is the leading candidate to take over as Pakistan's ODI captain after Babar's resignation. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is also considering Mohammad Haris as a leader for the T20I side. Babar will remain a key player for Pakistan across formats despite stepping down from captaincy.

It's Been A Pleasure And Honoured - Hasan Ali

Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali expressed his gratitude for playing under Babar Azam's captaincy. Ali highlighted the many memorable moments and victories they shared. He wished Babar well in his future endeavors and encouraged him to shine in the next chapter of his career.

"It’s been a pleasure and honored playing under your captaincy! So many great memories and victories together. Looking forward to seeing you shine in the next chapter #king all the best 👍🏼 and stay blessed 🏏," Hasan Ali wrote.

It’s been a pleasure and honoured playing under your captaincy! So many great memories and victories together. Looking forward to seeing you shine in the next chapter #king all the best 👍🏼 and stay blessed 🏏 🇵🇰 https://t.co/U2VxfulR3z

— Hassan Ali 🇵🇰 (@RealHa55an) October 2, 2024

Babar took over as captain in 2019, but Pakistan has not won any major tournaments during his tenure. The Men in Green reached the final in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 but lost to England in Australia. They didn't go past the group stage of the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup 2024.

The 29-year-old batter will be next seen in action during the upcoming three-match Test series against England at home. The Shan Massood-led team suffered a humiliating 0-2 loss to Bangladesh in their last series. Notably, Babar failed to make an impact with the bat across formats in recent times.

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