'That's A Pity,' Ian Chappell's Take On Babar Azam's Captaincy Drama

image-lpc8dfcwFormer Pakistan skipper Babar Azam during WC 2023 (Getty Images)

Pakistan cricket went into turmoil after the humiliating exit from World Cup 2023. The Babar Azam-led squad stepped into the tournament as the No.1 ODI side but fell short of meeting expectations.

The Men in Green endured a series of losses that ousted them from the semi-final race. Meanwhile, back home, in Pakistan, the media and fans ripped the team apart piece by piece. 

From the cricket board to team management to players, especially the captain Babar Azam, were vilified on the internet. The pressure and weight of the country’s expectations got the better of Azam as he relinquished leadership duties across all three formats of the game.

Accordingly, the PCB announced two new captains for the white and red ball teams. While Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead the shorter format side, Shan Masood has been given the responsibility of taking charge of the test team.

Having said that, not many are happy with the drama that unfolded in Pakistan after the team’s World Cup exit. Babar Azam’s decision to step down from captaincy across every format of the game of cricket didn’t sit well with former Australian great Ian Chappell.

Chappell termed the entire situation unfortunate and empathized with Babar Azam. He added that the former skipper is indeed a great performer with the bat, and Pakistan should be grateful for his services. 

Ian Chappell also called out Pakistan’s problematic culture of swapping players and captains after every large-scale defeat. He feels Babar Azam fell prey to the nonsensical trend without any fault of his own.

"Yeah that's a pity, I think Babar's a very good player. He's not leaving the Pakistan side and maybe they can find a better captain. But it's typical of Pakistan, they change captains (frequently)," Chappell said.

Before Chappell spoke out, former PCB chief Ramiz Raja also cited conspiracy behind Babar Azam’s abrupt captaincy exit. He claimed PCB pressured him to either perform or leave during the World Cup.

Having said that, Babar Azam has yet to break his silence on the entire saga. He stepped down with utmost grace without dragging anyone under the bus. But the truth of what actually unfolded behind the scenes, only Babar knows.