Pakistan looking at Azhar Ali to take over ODI captaincy

Pakistan looking at Azhar Ali to take over ODI captaincy: How often have we seen a player make it to the national squad and come in directly as the skipper? It reminds us of Australia’s George Bailey who either leads the team (in absence of Clarke) or doesn’t find himself in the playing XI. The PCB who have limited reliable options to look at since Misbah ul Haq has decided to quit 50 over’s cricket; as per a report published by ESPNCricinfo the PCB Chairman, Shaharyar Khan is all set to appoint Azhar Ali as the captain of Pakistan ODI squad.

Azhar Ali a regular feature of the Pakistan squad in test cricket is yet to establish himself as a limited over’s cricketer and the last time that he played a One day game for Pakistan was in January 2013. The 30 years old batsman has featured in 14 ODIs for Pak having scored 452 runs at an average of 41.09. Ali is a more recognized name in the test whites with an experience of 39 tests, 2851 runs and averages above 40 here as well (41.31).

Though there is no official statement released by the Chairman or the board; it is also believed that wicket-keeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed will also be appointed as the vice-captain of the team. Along with the skipper and his deputy, the PCB has also scrapped the selection committee led by Moin Khan, who was called back from the World Cup after being spotted in a casino.

Former Pakistan batsman Haroon Rasheed who has on two occasions in the past been a part of the panel, will be the new Chairman of the selection committee and the other members are Kabir Khan, Azhar Khan and Saleem Jaffar.