Masood's leadership and game-management issues behind bringing Babar back as skipper

Lahore, Jul 8 (PTI) Senior Pakistan Cricket Board selector Aaqib Javed has blamed sacked Test captain Shan Masood and the team management for the recurring leadership and game-management issues, saying they were the reason behind bringing back Babar Azam as captain in the longest format. The former Pakistan pace bowler added that individual performances were not the reason for the captaincy change. "The reason for bringing back Babar was that we noted that wherever we played...be it in Australia, South Africa, the West Indies or Bangladesh...we couldn't dismiss the lower-order batters, even in different conditions with different bowlers, and this, to us, pointed towards issues in leadership and game management," Aaqib said in a PCB podcast. Aaqib, who is also the director of high performance in the PCB, believes Babar is the right candidate to provide long-term stability as Pakistan prepare for challenging Test tours of the West Indies and England. The former Test pacer said the PCB would back Babar as Test captain as part of a long-term programme and that he would not be judged for the next two or three years. Aaqib said Babar had enough cricketing maturity and experience to lead the team well and that he remained a key player. "Our plan is to give him a two- to three-year run as captain. Every captain brings a fresh mindset, and we expect him to inspire the team through his own performances." Babar, who stepped down as Test captain in 2023 after being told he would not lead the team in the white-ball formats, has captained Pakistan in 20 Tests between 2020 and 2023, winning 10 matches, losing six and drawing four. Shan Masood's tenure as captain was a rocky one, as Pakistan lost 12 of the 16 Tests under his leadership despite a promising start in Australia during the winter of 2023, where they had opportunities to win two Tests. Pakistan are scheduled to depart for the West Indies on July 13, where they will play a four-day warm-up match from July 18 before the two-Test series in Trinidad and Tobago from July 25 to 29 and August 2 to 6. Following the Caribbean tour, Pakistan will travel to England for a three-match Test series. The opening Test will be played at Headingley in Leeds from August 19 to 23.PTI Cor AM AM AM