Babar Azam ripped off from Pakistan captaincy right after Pakistan's exit from T20 World Cup 2024

Former Pakistan cricketer Sikandar Bakht has attacked captain Babar Azam after Pakistan was ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Sikandar Bakht has also advised that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) needs to change Babar Azam as captain from all formats. 

His views arrived after the Pakistan team faced a miserable show in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 by getting eliminated from the group stage itself. USA's match against Ireland was washed out due to rain on Friday. As a result, they qualified for the Super 8 round along with India. 

Pakistan was part of Group A with teams like India, USA, Ireland, and Canada. Two teams from each group can book a berth in the Super 8 round. Pakistan faced a shocking defeat to the USA in their opening game in the Super Over. 

Later, Babar Azam & Co. also lost to India by 6 runs, failing to chase down a 120-run target in the match. The USA vs Ireland result was crucial for Pakistan, and they wished Ireland to win the encounter. However, since the match was abandoned, USA has earned 5 points and they are all set to march into the Super 8 round. 

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Change Babar Azam as captain from all formats 

Former Pakistan all-rounder Sikandar Bakht has targeted Babar Azam after Pakistan was eliminated from the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Sikandar Bakht wants the management to change Babar Azam as skipper from all formats. 

During a conversation on a Pakistani news channel Geo News, he bashed Azam for his captaincy and said that he is not a captain material at all. 

"No, first of all, you will have to change the captain. When I was appointed, on the first day, I gave a beeper in the newspaper. And I said that I don't think he is a captain material and he should try to prove me wrong. So he couldn't do it. He didn't win anything. You have to change the captain for all the formats. Number one", he said. 

"Number two. He was saying that Ahmed Shehzad's young men are sitting there and they are crying. So, Ahmed Shehzad, you must ask them who has done this to cricket", he further added.  

"Who caused this to happen to cricket, you must ask them. Secondly, when you are talking about changing the team, it is not necessary that the whole team changes", the 66-year-old noted. Have a look at the video below. 

Babar Azam failed again to proceed in the WC from 2021 todate he lost six titles, Now we have to remove the KING @iShaheenAfridi @WahabViki #BabAzam #BabaAzam���� #Captaincy #sikanderbakht #PakistanCricket @TheRealPCB @MohsinnaqviC42 @AzharMahmood11 pic.twitter.com/hFmkiNpM0V

— Sikander Bakht (@Sikanderbakhts) June 14, 2024

Babar Azam was reappointed as skipper ahead of ICC T20I WC 2024 

Notably, Babar Azam is the captain of Pakistan in only ODIs and T20Is. After the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 last year, he was removed as a skipper from all formats. Shan Masood was appointed as the Test skipper while pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi was named as T20I skipper. 

However, with skipper Shaheen Afridi losing the T20I series to New Zealand 4-1 and Babar Azam’s good show during Pakistan Super League 2024, the latter was appointed as the ODI and T20I skipper and Afridi snubbed from the role. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan is set to play one more game in ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The Men-in-Green will face Ireland in the final game of the tournament. Pakistan, Ireland, and Canada are the three teams that are eliminated from Group A.