Babar Azam's Test captaincy fate sealed after Pakistan's disastrous display in T20 World Cup: Report

Babar Azam's chances of becoming the Test captain have been dealt a huge blow after Pakistan's disastrous performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

The right-handed batsman was Pakistan's captain in all the formats till last year before stepping down from the post after the Men in Green's disastrous display in the ODI World Cup. He was later replaced by Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi as the Test and T20I captains respectively.

However, he replaced Afridi as the T20I captain in April this year. Afridi led Pakistan in just one series before being sacked. Speculations were rife that Babar would be reappointed the Test captain as well but it is now looking highly unlikely after Pakistan's display in the T20 World Cup.

The Men in Green have been knocked out of the tournament at the group stage after suffering losses against the USA and India. Before the T20 World Cup, Pakistan struggled in the bilateral assignments as well. In April, they could only draw the five-match series at home against a second-string New Zealand side.

Last month, they lost a T20I against Ireland before being thrashed 2-0 by England. Babar Azam's poor display with the bat has only made things worse for him. He has faced severe criticism for his poor batting display and there have been calls from several quarters to sack him as the T20I skipper as well.

Shan Masood to continue as Test captain:

According to a report in Geo News, Shan Masood is likely to retain his position as Pakistan's Test captain for the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh. The report stated that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PBC) is disappointed in Babar's ability to lead.

Under Masood's captaincy, Pakistan suffered a whitewash in the three-Test series in Australia but the left-handed batsman is likely to get at least one more series to prove his captaincy skills.

Meanwhile, Pakistan would be looking to end their campaign in the T20 World Cup on a winning note. The Men in Green will be taking on Ireland in their last group game on Sunday (June 16).