Babar Azam to be sacked as Pakistan's white-ball captain: Report
What's the story
Babar Azam, the current captain of Pakistan's white-ball teams, is likely to be sacked from his leadership position, reported Geo News.
Notably, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not included him in the list of captains for the upcoming Champions One Day Cup.
This decision comes ahead of Pakistan's tour to Australia and has sparked speculation about a potential change in leadership for the team.
Successor speculation
Rizwan tipped to succeed Azam as white-ball captain
Reports suggest that Mohammad Rizwan is being considered as a potential successor to Babar.
These rumors were fueled by discussions between Gary Kirsten, the white-ball head coach, and PCB officials in July.
If confirmed, this change would see Rizwan leading Pakistan in all three formats of the game during their upcoming tour of Australia.
Notably, Shan Masood is currently Pakistan's Test captain.
Performance review
Babar's performance and leadership under scrutiny
Babar's recent performance has been less than stellar, particularly in Test cricket.
During the Test series against Bangladesh, he was dismissed for a duck and scored only 22 runs in the first Test.
His performance did not improve significantly in the second Test where he managed to score only 31 and 11 in both innings.
This dip in form may have contributed to the PCB's decision to reconsider his captaincy role.
Leadership change
PCB names Shakeel as 1 of the skippers
In a surprising move, the PCB has named Saud Shakeel, Pakistan's Test vice-captain, as one of the skippers for the Champions One Day Cup.
This decision comes alongside similar appointments for Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Haris and Rizwan.
The shift in leadership roles indicates a potential strategy change within the team ahead of their tour to Australia.