The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly considering bringing Babar Azam back as the captain of the men’s T20I team. The 31-year-old was recently appointed Pakistan’s Test captain after replacing Shan Masood on July 1. Now, reports suggest he could also replace Salman Ali Agha as the T20I skipper.
Pakistan’s captaincy has changed several times over the last three years. Since Babar stepped down as all-format captain in November 2023, the PCB has made frequent leadership changes across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. His appointment as Test captain marked the seventh captaincy change across formats during this period.
Salman Ali Agha’s Captaincy Under Review
Reports about Salman Ali Agha’s future as T20I captain have been circulating since May. It is believed that he was appointed as a temporary option, with the PCB planning to review the leadership after the Asia Cup 2025 and the T20 World Cup 2026. However, the board struggled to identify a suitable long-term replacement.
According to Daily Ausaf, the PCB is now open to handing Babar the T20I captaincy once again after restoring him as Test captain. The board reportedly believes that Babar’s experience and leadership could help Pakistan rebuild the team ahead of future ICC tournaments.
Babar has an impressive record as Pakistan’s T20I captain. Between 2019 and 2024, he led the team in 85 matches and won 48 of them, making him the most successful T20I captain in Pakistan’s history. Under his leadership, Pakistan consistently remained one of the strongest teams in the shortest format.
Babar also guided Pakistan to back-to-back ICC T20 World Cup finals stages. Pakistan reached the semi-finals in 2021 before losing to eventual champions Australia. A year later, they went one step further and reached the final, where they were beaten by England. During that period, Babar was also among the world’s leading T20 batters.
Complete Timeline of Pakistan’s Captaincy Changes (2023–2026)
The PCB will hope that bringing Babar back can help Pakistan regain consistency in T20 cricket. Although he briefly returned as captain in March 2024, he stepped down again later that year. If the latest reports are accurate, this would mark another chapter in Pakistan’s long list of captaincy changes.
With important international tournaments on the horizon, the PCB appears keen to settle on an experienced leader. Whether Babar officially returns as T20I captain remains to be seen, but his record and experience make him one of the strongest candidates for the role.
Pakistan’s captaincy changes began in November 2023 when Babar Azam resigned as the all-format captain. The PCB then appointed Shaheen Afridi as T20I captain and Shan Masood as Test captain. However, Shaheen’s stint lasted only a few months before he was removed in March 2024, with Babar returning as T20I skipper. Babar again stepped down from the role in October 2024, after which Mohammad Rizwan was named Pakistan’s white-ball captain.
The leadership changes continued in 2025 and 2026. Salman Ali Agha became Pakistan’s T20I captain in March 2025, while Mohammad Rizwan was removed as ODI captain in October 2025 and replaced by Shaheen Afridi. Most recently, the PCB removed Shan Masood as Test captain in July 2026 and reinstated Babar Azam, who could now also be handed the T20I captaincy once again.