‘I was surprised’ - Imad Wasim on Babar Azam's reappointment as Pakistan captain

Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim admitted that he was surprised to see the Pakistan Cricket Board turning to Babar Azam again for the captaincy role, which he relinquished after the team’s poor performance in the ODI World Cup 2023. After the mega tournament in India, the 29-year-old resigned from his position in all three formats of the game, as Shan Masood and Shaheen Shah Afridi were appointed as Test and T20I captains, respectively.

However, after an embarrassing 4-1 series defeat to New Zealand, PCB decided to sack Shaheen as T20I captain - which was also his first series in charge. The officials contacted Babar Azam again for the role and the 29-year-old was eventually handed the baton. However, under his leadership, Pakistan once again flopped and his captaincy is now under threat. 

Speaking about the entire development, Imad stated that it was the selectors’ call to reappoint Babar. He added that it was not just him but everyone in the country was surprised to see them bring Babar back into the leadership scenario.

Also Read - Reports: Mohammad Rizwan to replace Babar Azam as Pakistan's white-ball captain

“Yes, I was surprised. 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]. Everybody in Pakistan was surprised, not just me. So, I can’t say no that I was not surprised,” Imad said in an interview with Saj Sadiq.

Imad reflects on shocking exit from T20 World Cup 2024

Pakistan lost to USA and India in the group stage of the T20 World Cup, which led to their shocking exit from the tournament. Speaking about the same, Imad noted that Pakistan’s performance wasn’t any good and that it took him a long time to get over the tournament. He also added that they had a good squad but it didn’t click when it mattered.

“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. It took me a long time to get over it,” Imad concluded.