Sarfraz appointed new Test captain

Announcement made at a reception held at PM’s residence

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan announced on Tuesday that ODI and T20I captain Sarfraz Ahmed will lead the side in the Test format as well.

The responsibility was offered and subsequently accepted at a reception held at the Prime Minister's residence to celebrate the ODI team’s recent Champions Trophy triumph, when the Men in Green clinched their first major 50-over tournament in 25 years and that at the expense of arch-rivals India.

This will be the first time in three years when the Men in Green will have a single captain for all three formats of the game.

Sarfraz took over the captaincy in the 20-over format after a disappointing 2016 World T20 where the Shahid Afridi-led unit was knocked out of the competition in the opening stage.

The Karachi-born wicketkeeper-batsman then became the ODI captain as well when Azhar Ali resigned in February this year.

Tuesday's announcement also puts an end to speculation over the replacement of Pakistan’s most successful Test captain — Misbahul Haq.