Babar Azam announced his resignation as the captain from all the formats of the game. While this was coming, the poor outing in the 2023 ODI World Cup was the final nail on the coffin. While Shan Masood will take over the mantle in Tests, Shaheen Afridi will be the new T20I skipper. A few more changes would be expected in Pakistan cricket, going forward. On the other hand, a few players could have been captains now if they had done well in the World Cup. On that note, here, we take a look at two players who could have been appointed Pakistan captain if they did well in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
1) Shadab Khan
Shadab Khan was the vice-captain of the side at the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, he was dropped from the XI midway through the tournament.
Shadab was expected to lead the spin attack and also offer a hand with the bat. However, he failed to do both. Had he done well in one of these departments, there might have been confidence to give him captaincy, at least in the T20I format. Now, that has not happened. The management might start their search for a new leader of the spin attack.
2) Imam-ul-Haq
Imam-ul-Haq is one of the players who could have been appointed Pakistan captain if they did well in the 2023 ODI World Cup. It was not long ago that Imam was at the top of the charts when it came to ICC’s rankings for ODI batters. Hence, there were plenty of expectations from the 27-year-old left-handed batter. If he had done well, considering his age, Imam would have had a wonderful chance to captain the side.
However, the player disappointed many with his performance. Barring a few games, he hardly cracked the competition. Later, he was replaced by Fakhar Zaman in the line-up. Now, he might be dropped from the squad, as well.
