Pakistan appoints Sarfraz Ahmed as the new Test skipper

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Shahryar Khan has officially announced that limited-overs captain Sarfraz Ahmed will take over the captaincy baton for the longest format of the game from Misbah-ul-Haq who retired with the last Test the team played in West Indies.

It was widely speculated that Sarfraz is set to be handed over the responsibility to lead the team in Tests after the team saw unprecedented success under his leadership in the Champions Trophy 2017. From entering the tournament as No.8 ranked team and just making a close cut to qualify for the tournament in the first place they went on to eclipse defending champions India in the final to lift the trophy.

Sarfraz has been an inspirational leader for the young team as he has led the charge from the front to ensure his boys deliver the best. With the retirement of two stalwarts in Misbah and Younis Khan, Pakistan will expect Sarfraz to reflect his magic from the shorter formats in Tests as well and ensure the team doesn’t slump in this period of transition.

Just formality

It was just a matter of time before the decision was announced since the PCB had already made its mind to crown the wicketkeeper-batsman. “It is now just a formality of the PCB Chairman making an announcement when he returns home. The decision has been taken and is final. Sarfraz will take over as Test captain after being appointed as deputy to Misbah-ul-Haq on the recent tour to the West Indies,” a PCB official was quoted in the media as saying.

Misbah all praises

Misbah-ul-Haq also sang praises on Sarfraz after he led the team to Champions Trophy win. “Every decision Sarfraz took today was spot on. One thing is very important for Sarfraz. He’s like MS Dhoni. He’s not temperament wise like him, he’s aggressive – but he keeps his plans very simple like him. He sticks to the plans and the plus points. It’s easy for the other players to understand,” the former captain had said.