PCB announce new captains for T20Is and Tests following Babar Azam's untimely resignation

The Pakistani cricket board has announced two new captains after the resignation of Babar Azam earlier in the day. Shaheen Shah Afridi has been named the T20I skipper while veteran batter Shan Masood has been named the test skipper.

The Pakistani team is set to tour Australia at the end of the year. This tour will prove to be a huge test for the Pakistani side who are in a period of transition. There has been no confirmation on the name of the new skipper for the ODI side.

Pakistan had a disappointing ODI World Cup 2023 tournament as they did not qualify for the semi-finals. This performance did not sit down well with the experts of Pakistani cricket who wanted the removal of Babar Azam as the captain. 

Two new Pakistan captains named by the PCB –

Left–arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will don the captain’s hat as he has been named the skipper of the T20 side. Pakistan heads into the new regime with a keen eye on the 2024 T20 World Cup to be held in the West Indies and the USA.

Shaheen Afridi has been a huge player for the men in green and is considered one of the best bowlers in the T20 format. Babar Azam will hope to provide good support to Shaheen Afridi as a player for the Pakistani team. The 23-year-old pace bowler has already led his PSL side to a title win earlier this year.

Shan Masood meanwhile has been named the test skipper for the tour of Australia at the end of the year. This ends speculation that Sarfaraz Ahmed will be re-instated as the skipper for the longest format of the game.

34-year-old Shan Masood last played for Pakistan during the tour of Sri Lanka as the Pakistani side won the test series. The left-handed batter will have a huge task on his hands especially with the World Test Championships points up for grabs.

Mohammad Rizwan will be the favourite to become the new skipper of the ODI side. The 31-year-old was one of the better Pakistani batters during the ODI World Cup 2023 tournament in India.