Azhar Ali has been removed as Pakistan Test captain, with limited-overs skipper Babar Azam replacing him in the role. That makes Azam, 26, the Pakistan captain across all three formats, bringing to an end Azhar’s brief second stint.
In just over a year as the man at the helm in Test cricket, Azhar led Pakistan in eight Test matches, which included two wins – against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and three defeats, which led to series losses against Australia and England.
As ESPNcricinfo reported last month, there had been serious discussions at the PCB about the possibility of a younger replacement to Azhar as Test captain. Azhar’s annual appraisal was carried out in September, with him meeting PCB CEO Wasim Khan, believed to carry significant influence with the PCB chairman Ehsan Mani – whom the ultimate decision rests with. At the time, Azam was an obvious leading contender for the role, given he remains one of the few players in Pakistan guaranteed a starting spot in all three formats. Unlike Azhar or his predecessor Sarfaraz Ahmed, there are no questions over his form with the bat, a cause of instability for both men over their tenures.
More to follow..
Source: ESPN Crickinfo