Babar Azam's decision to step down as Pakistan captain from all formats receives mixed reactions

Babar Azam faced significant criticism during his tenure as the captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team, especially following the team's performances in the Asia Cup 2023 and the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023. Not only did his captaincy come under scrutiny, but it also appeared to impact his batting performance, as evidenced by his slow innings in the World Cup.

So, while it was shocking, but not surprising news, Babar Azam announced he has relinquished his position as captain from all three formats immediately.

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Babar shared the news of his resignation through a post on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) and stated, "Today I am stepping down as the captain of Pakistan in all formats. It's a difficult decision but I feel it is the right time for this call".

Soon after the decision was made, it received mixed reactions from cricket fans across the globe. 

Babar Azam took on the role of Pakistan's T20I captain in October 2019 and subsequently also became ODI captain in May 2020. 

His captaincy tenure saw Babar steer Pakistan to the No. 1 spot in the ODI rankings. The team achieved a notable feat by reaching the T20 World Cup semifinals in 2021, followed by a runner-up finish in the subsequent year's final. 

Concurrent with his leadership ascent, Babar reached the pinnacle of the World's No. 1-ranked ODI batter in April 2021, maintaining this position until earlier this month when Shubman Gill displaced him from the top spot.