Imad Wasim admitted that he was surprised to see Babar Azam reappointed as captain of Pakistan’s white-ball teams ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Babar had stepped down as skipper following Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup, with the captaincy being handed to Shaheen Afridi.
However, after just six months, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made a U-turn following the New Zealand series, returning the captaincy to Babar.
The Pakistan batter went on to oversee a poor campaign, as the team were eliminated in the group stages of the tournament.
Imad, who was part of the squad, mentioned in an interview with a local sports platform that it was ultimately a decision made by the selectors, adding that many in Pakistan were equally surprised by the move.
“Yes, I was surprised,” Wasim replied on being asked about Babar’s return as Pakistan captain after a break of only six months. “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,” he added.
Pakistan's T20 World Cup campaign saw them suffer an embarrassing loss to the USA before being beaten by arch-rivals India. Imad said the performance wasn't up to the mark and the team didn't click as a unit.
The all-rounder said that he was disappointed with the performance and it took him a long time to get over it.
"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," said Imad.
Pakistan will next play a white-ball series against Australia when they tour down under in November.
- Babar Azam
- Imad Wasim
