"Ye to hona hi tha" - Fans react as Babar Azam steps down as Pakistan captain across formats after 2023 World Cup campaign

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam stepped down as captain across formats after their 2023 World Cup campaign on Wednesday, November 15. The decision came days after the Men in Green failed to qualify for the semifinals. They finished the 50-over tournament with four wins in nine league games.

As a batter, Babar scored 320 runs in nine matches at an average of 40 with the bat, including four half-centuries.

Under Babar’s leadership, Pakistan reached the 2022 T20 World Cup final and the 2022 Asia Cup final. He led Pakistan in 71 T20Is, 43 ODIs, and 20 Tests, guiding his team to 42, 26 and 10 wins, respectively.

Azam wrote on X:

“I vividly remember the moment when I received the call from PCB to lead Pakistan in 2019. Over the past four years, I’ve experienced many highs and lows on and off the field, but I wholeheartedly and passionately aimed to maintain Pakistan’s pride and respect in the cricket world.”

He continued:

“Today, I am stepping down as the captain of Pakistan in all formats. It’s a difficult decision, but I feel it is a right time for this call. I will continue to represent Pakistan as a player in all the three formats. I am here to support the new captain and the team with my experience and dedication.”

Fans on X came up with mixed reactions to Babar Azam’s resignation as the Pakistan skipper. One user wrote:

"Ye to hona hi tha!! (It was bound to happen)."

Here are some more reactions:

“Can do wonders for Pakistan as a player” – Shoaib Malik on Babar Azam

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik believes that Babar Azam as a batter can do wonders for Pakistan as a player. The reaction came after Pakistan lost to India by seven wickets in the league stage in the ongoing marquee ICC tournament.

Malik told A-Sports earlier this month:

“I gave an opinion in the past as well that Babar Azam should leave captaincy. This is my personal opinion. Babar does not think out of the box as a captain. He is doing captaincy but the improvement is not coming. He can do wonders for Pakistan as a player.”

Pakistan will next tour Australia for a three-match Test series in December. It will be followed by a five-match T20I series in New Zealand.