CRICKET: A CAPTAIN QUESTIONED.

Winter gloom continues to strike Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam and his eleven in what has been a forlorn home cricket season, following the Black Caps historic victory in Karachi last week.

The city, not particularly known for its cold weather, managed to turn blue the hopes of the Men in Green aiming to end the season's final game with a win.

Pakistan lost 2-1 to New Zealand at the National Bank Cricket Arena last Friday, letting yet another visiting side register a historic victory in a span of two months. This was the first time that the Kiwis defeated Team Green on their home soil in a white-ball series.

Despite starting the contest with a successive eight One-Day Internationals (ODI)-run, the hosts failed to clinch the three-match series, courtesy Glenn Phillips' match-winning knock in the final game.

The right-hander scored an unbeaten 63 off 42 balls to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat after New Zealand were battling at 205 for six, requiring 76 from 71 with just four wickets in hand.

Was it just winter gloom that hit the Babar Azam XI? Or will the Men in Green be shivering during the summer too?

Fakhar Zaman's century and Mohammad Rizwan's terrific 77 off 74 went in vain after the visiting side launched its counterattack with fifties from captain Kane Williamson and batsman Devon Conway, who added 75 runs for the second wicket.

Conway, who was the fourth highest scorer in the series, with 153 runs at an average of 51, was honoured as the Player of the Series.

Contrary to fans' expectations, the long-awaited homecoming of hosting SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries was quite harsh on captain Babar, who faced three successive series losses - first against Australia and England in red-ball, and now against New Zealand in limited-overs.

While Babar, the batsman, had a successful run, averaging almost 50 in the ODI series and over 56 in Tests against New Zealand, Babar, the captain, could not save himself from the horrors of the press, who continued to put him on the spot, questioning his captaincy, which led to the undesirable match results.

The 28-year-old seems to be facing the ghosts of crippling authority both on and off the field. Threats loom over Babar's leadership role and autonomy in decision-making in the wake of the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) new regime, rumoured to be considering opting for a different captain in each format of the game in the coming future.

The former PCB...