PCB appoints Azhar Ali as Test and Babar Azam as T20 Captain

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sacked Safaraz Ahmed as a skipper from two formats and appoints Azhar Ali as a new Test Captain and Babar Azam as T20 Captain.

Batsman Azhar ali will replace the wicket-keeper to captain the team in the upcoming tests against the Australia as well as the World Test Championship in 2019-2020 season.

Similarly, Babar Azam will lead the T20 squad in T20 matches against Australia and until 2020 T20 World Cup.

In a press release by PCB earlier today, removing Sarfaraz Ahmed as a captain came after ‘drop in overall form’.

Change in captaincy due to Sarfaraz Ahmed’s drop in overall form which has also affected his confidence
“There is no bigger honour than to captain the Pakistan national cricket team in the pinnacle format of the game,” says Azhar Ali
“It is my responsibility to take forward Sarfaraz Ahmed’s accomplishments in T20Is so that we remain a consistent, attractive and powerful side,” says Babar Azam
“It has been an honour to lead Pakistan at the highest level. I want to thank all my colleagues, coaches and selectors who have helped me in this journey,” says Sarfaraz Ahmed

Azhar Ali to hold media conference TODAY at 330pm at the Far End, Gaddafi Stadium; Pakistan squads for Australia T20Is and Tests to be announced on Monday, 21 October, at 2.15pm at Far End, Gaddafi Stadium
urdu release is attached here

The appointments were confirmed after Sarfaraz Ahmed was left out of both formats due to the drop in his overall form during the past few series.

Seventh-ranked Pakistan will play fifth-ranked Australia in two Tests in Brisbane (21-25 November) and Adelaide (29 November-3 December (d/n)) before hosting Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for two Tests apiece.

Pakistan are also scheduled to play three T20Is each against Australia (3, 5 and 8 November) and Bangladesh before the curtain falls on their international domestic season in early February 2020.

Azhar Ali has been a mainstay of Pakistan’s batting line-up since making his debut against Australia at Lord’s in 2010. The 34-year-old is regarded as Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan’s prodigy and has scored 5,669 runs with 15 centuries and 31 half-centuries in 73 Tests.

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