After Babar Azam resigned, Pakistan named Shan Masood as Test captain and Shaheen Afridi as T20I captain

Digital Desk: On Wednesday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that batsman Shan Masood will take over as Test captain ahead of the next three-match Test series in Australia. 

The PCB also approved the appointment of pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi as Pakistan's T20I captain.

The statement came just hours after Babar Azam announced his retirement as Pakistan's captain across all formats. Azam led Pakistan to the top of the ICC One Day International (ODI) rankings for the first time in May after captaining them in all three formats beginning in October 2019.

Four days after his team was ousted from the World Cup, Babar quit as Pakistan's captain across all formats. Pakistan lost five of their nine games, including a shocking defeat to Afghanistan, calling Babar's leadership into question.

"I am stepping down as captain of Pakistan in all formats today." It's a difficult decision, but I believe now is the perfect time for this call,'' Babar wrote in his statement, which was released on X.

Many accused Babar of developing an entourage of his chosen players, including Imam ul Haq, Mohammed Nawaz, and Shadab Khan, to name a few. Babar has declared firmly that he will assist the new captain in whatever way he can.

"I will continue to play for Pakistan in all three formats. With my knowledge and dedication, I am here to assist the new captain and the team. I'd like to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board for entrusting me with this tremendous responsibility," he continued.

For his part, Ashraf drew criticism when he declared in the middle of the tournament that the World Cup squad was decided at the behest of former chairman Inzamam ul Haq and skipper Babar.