Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has given the Test captaincy to Babar Azam which makes him the captain across all three formats. He will be replacing Azhar Ali who was given the responsibility a year ago.
Azhar Ali had a torrid time as a captain which saw him lose the series against England and Australia. During his tenure, his own form saw a dip which was a big reason in him losing his captaincy.
“As we are looking into the future, it is appropriate that we appoint him the captain now so that he continues to grow stronger with every match,” PCB chairman Ehsan Mani said in a statement.
“I wish Babar all the best and remain optimistic that he will help Pakistan cricket make an upward movement across all formats not only through his performance but also with his positive attitude and result-oriented approach.”
The 26-year-old’s first assignment as Test skipper will be the ICC World Test Championship matches against New Zealand, which will be played in Mount Maunganui and Christchurch from December 26-30 and January 3-7, respectively.
“I feel truly honoured to have been appointed Test captain and join some of the most iconic players who have captained Pakistan in the purest format of the game,” said Azam, who took charge of Pakistan’s limited-overs teams earlier this year.
“I am ready and prepared to take up the additional responsibility and the fact which gives me additional confidence is that I can do the job is the experience that is available to me in the changing room in the shape of the players and support staff.”
Babar Azam yesterday led Pakistan to a comfortable 3-0 win over Zimbabwe and has been Pakistan best batsmen in all three formats for last two years now.
