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It is expected that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will again appoint Babar Azam as the captain of Pakistan cricket team for the T20I format after selecting him as the captain of the Test format.
According to Pakistani media reports, the Mohsin Naqvi-led cricket board may consider making one of the most reliable batsmen the captain for the shortest format for the second time.
Babar Azam is all set to replace Salman Ali Aga
During the team’s transition phase, Salman Ali Aga was the captain of Pakistan’s T20I team. Agha was also the leader of the team during the last ICC T20 World Cup. Under Agha’s leadership, the team achieved some promising moments, but failed to achieve notable success in ICC events.
On the other hand, when Babar Azam was the captain of the team, the Men in Green came close to winning the elite ICC tournament on at least two occasions. With Babar as the team captain, the national team came close to winning the T20 World Cup title.
During the 2021 T20 World Cup edition, Pakistan reached the semi-finals, and in the 2022 edition, they finished as the runners-up. Additionally, to date, the top-order batsman has one of the best win-loss records as captain of the team in the shortest format.
Babar Azam was almost dropped from the T-20 team
Later, his form deteriorated in this format and he was almost sidelined from the team. Babar was also in the line-up during the 2026 T20 World Cup, but his batting position was full of uncertainty. On important occasions, when the team needed to score runs at a fast pace, the management refused to send the experienced batsman in the middle.
After a disappointing performance in the tournament, when the performance of most players was under scrutiny, Babar’s career was also reportedly in danger. If local media reports are to be believed, he is not ready to retain the leadership role again.
PSL 2026 proved to be a new beginning for Babar Azam
The last edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) might have been working in his favor as he guided Peshawar Zalmi to the top of the championship. In this year’s tournament, Babar Azam not only proved his leadership abilities but also batted in an improvisational style. The right-handed batsman’s strike rate was under question at the start of PSL 2026.
As the tournament progressed, Babar’s strike rate also increased and he finished as the highest run-scorer in the edition with a total of 588 runs in 11 innings at an average of 73.50 and a strike rate of 145.90, which included two centuries. Due to his exceptional batting performance, he earned the Player of the Tournament title and emerged as the joint-highest run-scorer in a single PSL tournament.
The media report further states that while Babar Azam is expected to return to command, Salman Ali Aga may remain with the team as a batsman.
