Watch: Gary Kirsten seals Babar Azam's fate as Pakistan captain with a smart reaction after landing in Pakistan

Pakistan cricket team’s white-ball coach Gary Kirsten and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood arrived in Lahore on July 8, for some crucial discussions regarding potential changes in the Pakistan team, including the future of Babar Azam as captain.

Kirsten’s visit comes in the wake of Pakistan's disappointing performance in the recent ICC T20 World Cup 2024, where the Men in Green were knocked out in the league stage with only two wins from four matches in Group A.

After an embarrassing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, Kirsten, along with Pakistan selector Wahab Riaz, submitted detailed reports on the team’s performance to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

Gary Kirsten’s cryptic smile fuels Babar Azam's captaincy speculation amid PCB review

This report covered various aspects such as players’ fitness, discipline, game awareness, and Babar’s poor captaincy in the tournament, with Naqvi set to review it soon. Babar's captaincy has come under scrutiny, with former Pakistan cricketers criticizing his leadership skills.

It is being said that the main agenda of the discussions is expected to be on his role as the white-ball skipper when Kirsten and the selectors meet the PCB chief. The PCB is now considering significant actions to address the team’s underperformance.

And now Pakistan’s white-ball coach Kirsten's arrival in Lahore is seen as a crucial role in making decisions about Babar's future as Pakistan’s white-ball captain as well as strategic changes to improve the team.

Meanwhile, in a recent viral video, Gary Kirsten was seen walking out of the airport when a reporter asked about Babar Azam's future as Pakistan’s white-ball captain, as he is set to meet the PCB chairman Naqvi.

Kirsten's reaction—a smile and a nod—has caused a stir among the cricket fans. His gesture has been widely interpreted as a positive sign, suggesting that Babar will likely continue in his role as Pakistan's white-ball captain.

Here's the viral video of Gary Kirsten:

Will Babar continue the captaincy ?

Here is Gary Kirsten answer

Iska ka Kya mutlub Len ab pic.twitter.com/sZAKIqZtJC

— ٰImran Siddique (@imransiddique89) July 8, 2024

This viral video has ignited widespread speculation and discussions across social media platforms, with many fans taking it as an unofficial confirmation of Azam's continuation as captain.

PCB yet to decide on Babar Azam's future as Pakistan's captain

However, Naqvi has recently declined to make any decision on Babar’s future as Pakistan captain. The PCB chief was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan: “There is no decision taken so far related to Babar Azam.”

Recently, the PCB held a high-level meeting of former cricketers in Lahore to gather insights and suggestions from the former Pakistan players to enhance the national cricket setup and their performance at the highest level.

With a significant gap before Pakistan's next white-ball series in November in Australia, the PCB will have enough time to implement necessary changes, so they must not be in a hurry to take the call.

Notably, Pakistan is set to host Bangladesh for a two-match Test series, starting on August 21. Shan Masood will continue as Pakistan’s Test captain as they are ready to kick off their home season with the Test series against the Bangladesh team.