Reports: Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali applies for NCA Director's post

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made some wholesale personnel changes in the weeks following the team's dismal campaign in the ODI World Cup 2023.

After making several tweaks to the coaching staff and selection panel, the Cricket Governing Board of Pakistan is now looking for a new Director for NCA. PCB has invited applications for the post and a reliable source has confirmed that Azhar Ali, the former Pakistan captain, is one of the applicants. The new NCA Director will be appointed in January 2024. According to the source, Ali is quite keen on taking up the job.

“The PCB is also happy that Azhar has shown interest because of his cricket and educational background,” the source was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.

Meanwhile, another former Pakistan bowler Nadeem Khan is presently serving as the acting Director of the NCA after New Zealander Grant Bradburn was removed from the position by the PCB.

Ali, who is now 38 years old, retired from international cricket in 2022. He is currently in Pakistan, for a departmental tournament. The right-handed batter has been playing first-class cricket since he brought the curtains down on a successful international career.

Azhar Ali's records in international cricket

The Lahore-born cricketer made his international debut against Australia in a Test match at Lord's in July 2020. His ODI debut came a year later against Ireland. Ali's last international match was against England in December 2022.

Mainly regarded as a red-ball specialist, Ali went on to play 97 Tests for the 'Men in Green'. He scored 7,142 runs at an average of 42.26 and notched up 35 half-centuries and 19 centuries. In 53 ODI matches, Ali scored 1,845 runs at an average of 36.90 and a strike rate of 74.46. He finished with 12 fifties and three hundreds in the format.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan cricket team is currently playing a three-match Test series in Australia. They lost the first Test in Perth by 360 runs. The second Test gets underway on Tuesday, December 26, in Melbourne.