'I was surprised': Imad Wasim on Babar Azam’s return to captaincy

Imad Wasim has expressed his surprise at the decision to reappoint Babar Azam as Pakistan’s captain for the white-ball formats ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

This move comes after Babar had stepped down from the role following Pakistan’s lacklustre performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Following the 2023 ODI World Cup, where Pakistan's performance fell short of expectations, Babar Azam resigned from the captaincy, with Shaheen Afridi taking over the leadership role.

Despite this change, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reversed its decision after only six months, reinstating Babar Azam as captain following the New Zealand series.

In an interview with a local sports platform, Imad Wasim, who was part of the squad during the T20 World Cup, shared his thoughts on the sudden change in captaincy.

“Yes, I was surprised,” Wasim said, acknowledging the unexpected nature of the decision. “What can I say, it’s ultimately the selector’s call. Whatever they thought was the best option, they picked and they picked the team [accordingly].”

He added, “Everybody in Pakistan was surprised, not just me. So, I can’t say that I was not surprised.”

Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign saw them facing significant challenges, including a surprising defeat to the USA and a loss to arch-rivals India.

Reflecting on the team’s performance, He stated, “Yeah, our performance wasn’t up to the mark to be honest and we have to accept that, including myself. So yeah, but it is what it is. I think we had a good side, but it didn’t click. It can happen in any format, especially T20. But yeah, it was disappointing. I was really disappointed.”

The all-rounder admitted that overcoming the disappointment of the World Cup took time. “It took me a long time to get over it,” Imad said.

Looking forward, Pakistan is set to face Australia in a white-ball series in November, providing an opportunity for the team to regroup and prepare for future challenges.