They say, “third time’s a charm” and “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
Pakistan appointing Babar Azam as their new Test captain, replacing a struggling Shan Masood, is an opportunity for the star batter to redeem himself as the leader of Team Green. He faces two big tests in the Caribbean, where a revived West Indian team throws a good challenge and then a series in tough conditions in England. Not only Babar would be needed to lead from the front with the bat, but also with wisdom to help the team rise from a very low point.
The first Test against the West Indies — both for the Pakistan team and skipper Babar — starts in Tarouba, Port of Spain, from July 25.
For two months, ears were cocked to hear the news of the appointment of a new Test captain. It took a while, partly because the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board Mohsin Naqvi was overly busy. The other reason, more primary, was the lack of options.
Reverting back to Babar after a three-year cooling period was a case of “forced marriage.” There were very few options which forced the selectors and the chairman to go back on Babar. Although not accepted officially but it is very much true that Salman Agha was the first to get the offer but the wise man turned it down for reasons we all know.
The current state of the team – lagging so much behind with eighth in the World Test Championship recent cycle and ninth in the last one — was not good to take the challenge. Salman has had his good and bad days, full of pressure and under-performances as T20Icaptain since last year. He may be one of the most successful Pakistan batters in the longer format but must have thought that it’s better to be vice-captain than sitting on the hot seat.
There were two other options as well. Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan both were also viable. But Rizwan’s recent history made him an unacceptable candidate. The team management thought he played selfishly in the two Tests in Bangladesh, quite evident from his dismissals for 59 and 94 – innings where he could have furthered Pakistan’s fight.
Maybe he could have gone on and hit a match-winning hundred in the second Test but left Pakistan regretting a 78-run defeat and a second consecutive 2-0 whitewash inflicted by Bangladesh.
It left the PCB with the option of Saud Shakeel but the diminutive left-hander has seen a serious dip in batting form, having not scored a century in his last 16 Test innings. More so, the timid manner of his dismissals left selectors to think the other way. That other way, and the only one was to hand the reins back to Babar.
Despite his own performance in Tests having gone down, Babar is still a star. He has gone 32innings without a Test hundred and was dropped for the first time in his career for the last two home Tests against England in the winter of 2024.
But he is someone who is blessed with talent and in return a great and unparalleled fan following. He worked his way to the Pakistan Under-19 team as a teenager and, after playing the2010 Junior World Cup as a player, led the team in the same event two years later. It gave him an idea of captaincy.
Three years later, he was in Pakistan’s senior team and by leaps and bounds became the cynosure of the cricketing world with his exquisite cover drive becoming his trademark. Further three years down the line, Babar was handed the captain’s armband in the Twenty20 series in Australia. His Test and ODI captaincy followed.
Captaincy is an honour but the prestigious reward is also a big responsibility, something that subdues a player and a dip in performance.
Instead, Babar not only produced good results but also saw his batting average swell with the title of captain. His career Test average of 42.67 increases to 50.79 as captain and ODI rises from 53.43 to60.76. It only goes south in T20Is, 38.94 to 37.74. The figures show he excels with the burden and responsibility.
As a Test captain he started off well with a 2-0 win over South Africa at home and a drawn series in the West Indies and Sri Lanka. But with change in policies by the then PCB chairman Ramiz Raja on pitches started a downturn. Pakistan used flat pitches against Australia and England as trepidation to face high-profile pacers of the opposition.
Pakistan not only lost but also forgot the winning recipe in home conditions. Still, on tour Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 2-0 – the last time Babar led in a Test series. Pakistan reached the semi-final and final in the Twenty20World Cups in 2021 and 2022 – two high points of Babar’s tenure as captain.
Unfortunately, Pakistan crashed out in the first round of the ODI World Cup in India in 2023. It was an abject show that left PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf – one of three chairmen in the two-year lead-up to the event – to change the ODI captain.
But Babar was adamant he would either be the all-format captain or relinquish the status altogether. His stepping down from the Tests was not apt and cost Pakistan dearly. Besides the dip, and as a by-product, Babar was accused of favouring his friends in the team and had selections of the squads at his whim. That cost the team in not strengthening the bench.
But Babar had to return in March 2024, this time as T20I captain, replacing Shaheen Shah Afridi. It was again a hasty decision by the new chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
After all, Shaheen had just led Pakistan in one T20I series and Babar’s accepting the role was also unwise and unjustified. Pakistan’s shambolic show in the World Cup in the USA was one of their lowest points as they lost to newcomers USA and their perennial nemesis, India.
The picture returned: Babar resigned in October. The ever-lasting musical chair of Pakistan captaincy has once again seen Babar at the helm.
It is an opportunity for Babar to redeem himself as captain and lift the team from the depths of despair. We all know there will be no quick turnaround but these two series will allow all the stakeholders to take corrective measures. Pakistan cannot go any further low because the World Test Championship comprises nine teams!
But the theme should be, “Let’s try this again,” “a fresh start,” or” taking another stab at it.” Best of luck to Babar and Co.
