Pakistan's limited-overs team was leaderless on Wednesday after captain Babar Azam resigned, compounding a management crisis experts say has badly affected the team's international performance.Pakistani cricket is flailing in all formats after a series of stinging losses, with a revolving door of bosses and allegations that nepotism has seeped into the sport.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pakistan cricket has ploughed through four coaches, three board heads and four captains in the past two years, at the same time sliding down international standings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It's a leadership crisis," former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif told AFP. "Pakistan cricket is in the ICU with no specialist for treatment."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Azam's resignation came hours before England touched down on Wednesday for a three-match Test series that follows Pakistan's humiliating 2-0 home series defeat to lowly ranked Bangladesh last month.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It was 29-year-old Azam's second turn as captain after a flip-flop saw him resign in all three formats following Pakistan's early exit from the ODI World Cup in November.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He returned in March to captain white-ball competitions but lasted just six months, leaving Pakistan leaderless with four major series coming up and the Champions Trophy next year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Azam was captain when Pakistan crashed out of the T20 World Cup after a bruising loss to newcomers the United States.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He said he stood down to focus on his playing role as a batsman.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"He should not have accepted captaincy again," Latif said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Neither the team was performing nor was he scoring big," he said. "This resignation has come very late and that has not only cost him badly, but also the team."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The PCB said on Wednesday the national selection committee would begin the hunt for a successor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"He believes that dedicating himself fully to his batting will enable him to play a more decisive role in the team's success in the shorter formats," a PCB statement said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan is considered the front-runner for the job.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Azam is slated to play in the England Test series starting in Multan on Monday, but red-ball skipper Shan Masood is also facing calls to step down over dire performances.<\/p>\r\n\r\n