After the 2023 World Cup in India, Babar Azam was removed from the white bowl captaincy by the previous appointed chairman of the PCB, and Shaheen Shah Afridi was given the position.

Afridi was named the T20I captain because of his performance in the Pakistan Super League, during which he guided Lahore Qalandars to consecutive title wins in 2022 and 2023.

In his initial role as captain, leading Pakistan in a five-match T20I series in New Zealand, the team won only one game.

Upon the Pakistan team’s return, there was a new management. Mohs Naqvi Qvi was chosen as the new chairman of PCB and became its main person.

PSL 9 was initiated by Babar Azam, who commanded Peshawar Zalmi, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who led Lahore Qalander. HBL didn’t Turbo be the best PSL for both captains, especially Shaheen Shah Afridi, as his team Lahore calendars, the two-time defending champions, were eliminated in the group stage with last position.

But end of the tournament Babar Azam was the highest run scorer and then the chairman PCB removed Shaheen Shah Afridi after just one bad and only series as captain. Babar Azam was re-acquainted with the status of the Babar Azam T20 cricket team until the end of the 2024 World Cup in the United States.

Babar won three T20i series before the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. One was at home against New Zealand, in which Pakistan tied the series 2-2 against Kiwis in the second lot of the team, as most of their players were busy in the IPL. The outcome was not favorable for Pakistan.

A few players were chosen by the PCB chairman, and a proper army training camp was established in Pakistan, possibly for the World Cup, that lasted 17 days.

It should be noted that Babar had most of the team players he wanted, with the exception of Imad Wasim or Muhammad Amir. Although I don’t think Babar wanted any of them, based on his extensive experience and Pakistan’s past shortcomings, the PCB had to include Imad Wasim, Mohammed Amir, and Mohammed Usman, who all had little or no participation in the domestic structure of Pakistan. Despite this, they were a strong contender for the Pakistan team in the World Cup

In the upcoming series against Ireland and England, the Pakistan cricket team experimented with some new players, including Irfan Khan Niazi, Saim Ayub, and Azam Khan.

Pakistan’s match against Ireland looked like an ordinary match, as even Ireland beat them. In the first T20 game, Pakistan chased easily and then bounced back as a superior team. However, the next series against England would not have raised the spirits of the Pakistani team at all. In their match against England, Pakistan had to play four Twenty20 matches, two of which were abandoned because of rain and the other two were lost badly by them.

Pakistan looked good in sticking to their plan to open with Saim Ayub, who could win any match in any conditions, before the world cup. In addition, Azam Khan, who is young and has the ability to win matches alone, were both given good chances by the Pakistani team before the World Cup, and it was understood that they would eventually join them.

Pakistan’s spin attack was the most concerning issue aside from everything else. Babar was too much relying on Shadab Khan, who has lost confidence as a bowler for quite some time now, but Babar was sticking with him. Another option Babar had was Alrounser Imad Wasim, who is definitely a utility player but as a spinner, he doesn’t offer much spin at all. In my opinion, Pakistan’s biggest worry was the spinner going to the USA and West Indies T20 World Cup 2024, where the conditions favor spinners. However, the third spinner, Abaar Ahmed, who could have been Pakistan’s biggest trump card, was hardly given a chance before the World Cup.

Now when the World Cup begins, Pakistan was in a much lighter group with only India as the main team and other associate teams such as Canada, Ireland, and the USA. Pakistan was definitely the favorite for the Super 8 as two teams would have qualified for it.

The start of the World Cup was nothing short of a nightmare for Pakistan as they first played against the USA. First, they dropped Saim Ayub, whom they had supported for the past three series and said he was definitely going to be our opener for the World Cup. They compelled him to play 23 T20 games without any success. They dropped him in such a mega event for which they were grooming him. Anyway, Pakistan only scored 159 runs, which if you see the Pakistan bowling line-up. It was assumed that Pakistan would win this easily, but it was wrong. Pakistani spinners, even in wet conditions, were unable to provide support to other pace factories in Pakistan.
Pakistan certainly was let down by their bowling and especially spin department.

The USA eventually tied the game and proceeded to score 18 runs in the super over against veteran pacer Muhammad Amir, which Pakistan failed to catch.

The second game against India was massive. Surprisingly, they dropped two players whom they were backing the most, including Azam Khan. The second decision clearly demonstrated that Pakistan’s plan and practice over the past 3-4 months were eclipsed.
Pakistan was attempting to try something new or even make a surprise during the world cup. They won a crucial toss and bowled first. The Pakistani seamier bowled brilliantly and eliminated them for just 119. It seemed like Pakistan would be able to easily catch it, but Pakistan, with its pure defensive approach, which I would call, couldn’t chase it. It is strange that they played all 20 overs and scored only 113 runs, losing 7 wickets and having at least 3 wickets remaining. Their careless defensive approach towards the game is evident and was a sad day for Pakistan cricket.

Pakistan won the remaining two games against Ireland and Canada. Luckily, Babar played till the end against Ireland otherwise it would have been a nightmare.

It’s fair to say that this was the plan since you’ve had 2 captaincy changes and 2 chairman PCB changes in the past 4 months. It was necessary to bring back retired players to represent you at the World Cup. It was essential to request that someone leaves the UAE and play for Pakistan, especially the players you had been supporting since PSL9. Saim Ayub and Azm Khan, you dropped them at the main event. This shows that Pakistan spent the past 4 months planning for the mega event, but they didn’t trust it themselves.

It has been reported that there will be numerous changes in the Pakistan cricket team, and perhaps even the captaincy!