Babar Azam replaces Azhar Ali as Pakistan's Test captain

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed their ace batsman Babar Azam as the Test captain replacing Azhar Ali from the helm. The latter had led the team on England tour recently which Pakistan lost and there were murmurs of him being removed from captaincy last month. Babar is now the skipper of the team across all the three formats.

His first assignment will be Pakistan’s New Zealand tour next month which are the part of ICC World Test Championship as well. The two Tests are set to be played in Mount Maunganui and Christchurch which are also the Boxing Day and New Year Tests respectively. The PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani confirmed the news of Babar Azam’s appointment at the helm following a meeting with Azhar Ali.

He thanked Azhar for his contribution to the team during his captaincy and also felt that he will guide Babar during in future. Ehsan Mani also stated that Babar Azam was identified as the future leader very early and his appointment as the skipper comes on the same lines.

“I want to thank Azhar Ali for stepping up last year by captaining the side in what was a historic first home Test series in over a decade. I believe Azhar still has a lot of cricket left in him and Pakistan cricket can continue to make the best use of his experience and knowledge as specialist top-order batsman moving forward.

“Babar Azam was identified at a very young age as a future leader and as part of his progression and development, he was appointed white-ball captain last year. With his consistent performance and leadership skills, he has demonstrated that he is ready to take on the additional responsibilities of a captain.

“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. 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,” he stated according to PCB’s press release.

Babar Azam delighted to lead Pakistan

Meanwhile, Babar Azam must be delighted as he got a good news soon after Pakistan whitewashed Zimbabwe in the T20I series. He is very much honoured to lead his country and also thanked Azhar Ali for the way he led Pakistan over the last 12 months.

“I feel truly honoured to have been appointed Test captain and join some of the most iconic players who have captained Pakistan in the purist format of the game. I can now say with conviction that dreams can come true only if you chase them with honesty, dedication and commitment.

“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.

“I want to thank Azhar Ali for the way he captained the team in the last season, which was a difficult one, but I know that he will leave no stone unturned in giving his very best to the team,” Babar Azam said.