Azam announced his resignation on his personal social media just before midnight on Tuesday, before an official Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) statement more than 12 hours later.

Pakistan's dire recent performances in international cricket have sparked debate over the invasion of politics in sport, with claims nepotism at the top is sabotaging success on the field.

In November 2023, Shaheen Afridi took over as the Pakistan T20I skipper after Babar Azam resigned following Pakistan’s poor run in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

According to Pakistan’s Geo TV, the pacer misbehaved with batting coach Mohammad Yousuf during the team's England tour.

The 49-year-old will start his two-year tenure with a two-match series against Bangladesh next month followed by three against England in October -- both at home.

Rauf and his teammates have been on the receiving end of a barrage of criticism from fans on social media following their early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup.

The early exit is a bitter disappointment though for Pakistan, who were beaten finalists in the tournament two years ago.

Knowing defeat would condemn them to a shock first round exit, Rizwan and Babar put on a match-winning second-wicket partnership of 63 as Pakistan reached their target of 107 with 15 balls to spare.

Although both countries are cricket powerhouses, head-to-head matches are rare between the nations.

Overall the team didn’t adjust to the conditions at the Grand Prairie Stadium, according to the Pakistan skipper.

While much of Pakistan's fortunes at the T20 World Cup will rest with Babar and reliable lieutenant Mohammad Rizwan, Ponting believes there is a young batter at the top of their batting order that might cause a surprise.

Four years out of the international game is a long time, but Amir says that the quality and environment around the Pakistan camp has made his reintegration pretty straightforward.

Pakistan are placed alongside India, co-hosts United States, Canada and Ireland in Group A. The top two teams will qualify for the next round of Super Eight, to be held in the West Indies with the final in Barbados on June 29.

The 30-year-old fast bowler made an encouraging return to competitive cricket.

The 2009 T20 World Cup champions have included five quality fast bowlers in their 15-player squad for the ninth edition of the tournament, with left-armer Shaheen Afridi to spearhead a pace attack alongside Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abbas Afridi and Mohammad Amir.

Pakistan on Friday became the 20th and the last team to announce a 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup to be held in the United States and the West Indies next month.

Speaking to the PCB Podcast, the left-arm speedster opined that Pakistan were close to success after recent near misses in the 2021 and 2022 edition.

Babar Azam-led Pakistan will play four-match series against defending champions England from May 22-30. The series will be an important one for Pakistan and England ahead of the T20 World Cup in the US and West Indies.

Babar and Rizwan's 139-run stand proved decisive.

The two teams are currently battling it out in a three-match T20I series in Ireland in preparation for next month's ICC Men's T20 World Cup and Cricket Ireland’s Chair Brian MacNeice held discussions with PCB Chair Mohsin Naqvi in relation to their tour of Pakistan in 2025.