Pakistan might sack foreign coaches, review Babar Azam captaincy after poor World Cup show

The Pakistan cricket team faces a major shake-up following a dismal World Cup 2023 campaign, where Babar Azam's side managed only five wins out of nine league games, landing in fifth position on the points table.

As Pakistan faces elimination from two ICC tournaments within two months, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is poised for significant managerial changes within the team.

Entire coaching staff to be sacked?

• A report by Pakistan’s Samaa TV indicates that the PCB is likely to dismiss the entire foreign coaching staff, including Head Coach Grant Bradburn, team director Micky Arthur, and batting coach Andrew Puttick.

• Bowling coach Mornel Morkel has already resigned, becoming the first to step down post the team's poor World Cup performance.

The report suggests that PCB chief Zaka Ashraf will convene an emergency meeting with former captain Younis Khan to announce this decision on Tuesday, along with a review of Pakistan's subpar tournament performance.

Uncertainty over Babar Azam’s captaincy

• Skipper Babar Azam could potentially lose his captaincy in the coming days, pending the PCB's team performance evaluation.

• Former skipper Shahid Afridi attributed Pakistan’s World Cup failures to Babar Azam’s leadership, expressing disappointment in Azam's captaincy development over the past three or four years. "We believed that in his three or four years of captaincy, Babar would have groomed and proven himself as a captain and leader. However, this didn’t happen, and we have witnessed numerous mistakes from him," as quoted by Geo TV.

• Nevertheless, despite criticism, the all-rounder still supports Azam continuing as captain in the upcoming tournament commencing on December 14.

Babar's captaincy record

• Babar Azam's captaincy record reflects a commendable performance.
• In ODIs, he boasts a win percentage of 64.63%, triumphing in 26 out of 42 matches while losing 14.
• In Test matches, leading the side in 20 games, Babar Azam secured victory in 10, suffered 6 defeats, and had 4 drawn matches.
• For T20Is, out of 71 matches, Babar Azam clinched victory in 42, with 23 losses, reflecting a winning percentage of 64.61%.

Wasim Akram and Micky Arthur back Babar Azam

• Wasim Akram and Micky Arthur have expressed their support for Babar Azam amidst the intense criticism aimed at the Pakistani skipper.

• During a show on A Sports, Wasim Akram criticized Babar’s detractors, instead attributing Pakistan’s World Cup debacle to the team’s overall performance. He emphasized, “The captain alone is not solely responsible. While he did make some captaincy errors in the World Cup and Asia Cup, it's not fair to blame him entirely. This stems from a systemic issue persisting for the past year or more, where players lack clarity regarding the coaching structure. Making him the scapegoat is unjust,” stated Wasim Akram.

• Mickey Arthur also supported Babar Azam, highlighting that making mistakes is a natural part of growth. He mentioned, “We need to grant him the time to develop. Making mistakes is not a crime; it’s a learning process, provided one learns from those mistakes,” as quoted by Geo TV.

• The final decision regarding Babar Azam's captaincy is anticipated to be made by the PCB.