Following Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup 2024, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly decided to replace Babar Azam with Shan Masood as the Test captain. The decision was made due to the board’s dissatisfaction with Babar’s leadership skills, particularly in light of the team’s underwhelming performance in the tournament.

As a result of the leadership change, Shan Masood is set to lead Pakistan in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh in August. The PCB has chosen not to reappoint Babar as the captain. In addition, Australian coach Jason Gillespie is expected to take charge of the team during the Bangladesh encounter, marking his first assignment with the team.

Babar had been appointed as the white-ball captain in 2019 and took over as Test skipper in 2020. However, under his leadership, the Pakistani team has failed to secure any ICC or Asia Cup titles. After a series of disappointing performances, including the team’s poor showing in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, Shaheen Shah Afridi was briefly appointed as the white-ball captain under the PCB’s previous leadership. Nevertheless, Babar was reinstated as the white-ball skipper by PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, with no decision made regarding his role in the red-ball format.

In contrast, Shan Masood had been handed the Test format captaincy by the previous management, and the recent turn of events indicates that Babar’s prospects of regaining his Test captaincy have been dashed following the team’s lacklustre performance in the T20 World Cup 2024.

Pakistan’s elimination from the T20 World Cup 2024 came after the United States vs Ireland match was called off due to a wet outfield at the Central Broward Regional Park in Florida. Despite having one more match against Ireland, Pakistan’s exit from the tournament has rendered the upcoming match a mere formality, marking a disappointing end to their T20 World Cup campaign.