Reinstating Babar Azam as Captain Alone Won’t Improve Pakistan’s Fortunes in Test Cricket

Pakistan sits bottom of the World Test Championship (WTC) table, so they need a significant turnaround if they are to challenge for a top two spot. They reinstated Babar Azam as Test captain ahead of important tours of West Indies and England to revive the team’s fortunes following a difficult few years.

Shan Masood, who replaced Babar as captain in 2024, lost 12 of his 16 matches as skipper. As reported by cricket website CricBlog, this is the worst record for any captain who led a team in at least 16 Tests. Shan tried his best, but Pakistan let too many promising positions slip under his watch.

However, while a change in leadership is understandable given the poor results, a change in captain alone can’t give Pakistan long-term success. They have regularly changed captains across formats and consistency still eludes them as the leaders are unable to implement their tactics and ideas freely.

Also, Pakistan’s struggles in recent years are symptomatic of a lack of stability at board level. Various chief selectors have come and gone since 2022. Haroon Rashid served twice. Shahid Afridi served a short stint. Inzamam-ul-Haq was given the role despite alleged conflicts of interest. Wahab Riaz also came and went quite quickly.

Now, Aqib Javed, Misbah-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq form the national selection committee.

Between 2021 and 2024, the Pakistan men’s team had four captains, four board presidents, eight coaches, and six chief selectors, plus 26 different members in the selection committee.

Gary Kirsten’s words after his tenure as coach were telling.

“It was a tumultuous few months,” he said. “I realized quite quickly I wasn’t going to have much of an influence. Once I was taken off selection and asked to take a team and not be able to shape the team, it became very difficult as a coach then to have any sort of positive influence on the group.”

Also, Pakistan’s domestic structure, fitness, and discipline are crucial areas for improvement. In a recent interview, former captain Mushtaq Mohammed lamented the fact that Pakistan’s players don’t play enough first class cricket.

“Tell me which Pakistan captain in the recent past has come up with the glory for Pakistan cricket?” he asked about the captaincy merry go-round. “Don’t blame the captain. The captain can only be good enough if his team is good enough.

“They’ve got to play first class cricket more often. Now they hardly play. I was just reading the statistics of Shaheen Afridi. He’s only played 43 first class matches, 34 of them are Test matches, so he’s only played 10 first class matches.

“It’s not enough. You can’t be a very good bowler just like Wasim Akram or Waqar Younis. Those people used to come and bowl 15 overs every day.”

Regular changes to the domestic setup over the years have made it difficult for players to gain momentum. Also, flat pitches can inflate batting numbers, and the transition to international cricket can be tricky as a result.

That said, numerous players have burst onto the international scene making an immediate impression. The likes of Umar Akmal, Shadab Khan and even Shaheen are examples.

However, many players seem to regress, with the spotlight on the management and coaching structures in place. It is time for Pakistan to focus on nurturing and improving their cricketers over time, and stability from the top is crucial for that to happen.

A change in captain alone will not enable Pakistan to succeed in the short and long term. Babar’s numbers as captain (batting average of 50.19) offers hope that he can return to his best in the West Indies and England, but Pakistan can’t achieve sustained success by relying on individual performances.

To get back to winning, Pakistan Cricket requires a concerted effort from the entire organization. Otherwise, Pakistan will remain “hopefuls” in series and tournaments rather than “contenders”.