Sports

Azhar Ali selected as new ODI captain: PCB chairman

Shahryar Khan names Sarfaraz Ahmed as ODI and T20s vice captain

Web Desk March 30, 2015

PHOTO: AFP

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan officially announced on Monday batsman Azhar Ali has been named Misbahul Haq’s successor as ODI captain.

“In view of his character, leadership and team spirit, the decision has been made to make Azhar new ODI captain,” he said, while addressing a press conference in Lahore on Monday afternoon.

The PCB chairman added he has made the decision after weighing both positive and negative aspects of making Azhar the captain.

Azhar has scored 452 runs in 14 outings at an average of 41.09 in the 50-over format and was tipped to be the new captain by outgoing skipper Misbahul Haq and head coach Waqar Younis. However, he has not played an ODI in more than two years.

While Misbahul Haq remains to be the captain in Test format of the game, wicket-keeper Sarfaraz Ahmed has been named vice-captain in ODIs and T20s.

Read: New ODI captain: Azhar Ali is the chosen one

“He [Sarfaraz] is full of spirit and has a fighting character.”

Explaining his decision the PCB chairman said it was made in light of our 'culture.'

Further, Shahid Afridi will continue to serve as the T20 captain.

Meanwhile, Moin Khan has been removed as team selector and will be replaced by former cricketer and team manager, Haroon Rashid.

COMMENTS (21)

abhishek | 9 years ago | Reply Pakistan cricket board have no sense of cricket azhar ali is the bad choice fr captaincy..sarfraz is always best choice fr captaincy

Pakistani | 9 years ago | Reply This is an ideal time to shed all the dead weight like Misbah, Afridi etc. and anyone who has 2 years of cricketing life in them. Also, PCB should stop wasting the public money and put an end to its experiments. The best thing they can do is to start copying Australia, after all with 5 world cups, they must be doing something better than PCB!!

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Shimatoree | 9 years ago | Reply Whatever happened to INNOVATION, IMAGINATION , PLANNING and CREATIVITY ? Oh yes I know........you cannot expect such things from an *80 Year old". The need of the hour was Radical Surgery..........and what did we get instead.....more of the same...........I would not be shocked that Waqar Younus will be selected as the Coach. More of the same is coming and Bangladesh will thrash this gang. Adios.

Zeeshan | 9 years ago | Reply Guys; Accept the fact that Cricket is dead in Pakistan. This demise has started back in 1999 as everyone can judge this from chain of event since then!

Shahrukh Fatah | 9 years ago | Reply Neither Azhar Ali should be Captain nor Sarfaraz Vice Captain as neither of them have been regular members of the team. BCP should be scrapped and Board members should be on it - those who know cricket. The present Board should take note of the Captains being appointed on other teams. I am pretty sure none of them have a newly appointed Captain who has not played on the team for almost two years!!! Has Azhar Ali some connection to someone on the Board???

raider | 9 years ago | Reply Just in one sentence what is azhir ali all about cricket, a technically faulty player

Hasan | 9 years ago | Reply @awaam: Sarfaraz is vice captain in ODIs and T20 only, Azhar Ali will be second in command in tests alongside Misbah.

Asad | 9 years ago | Reply I failed to understand he was not picked for WC15 squad and suddenly he is picked for captain slot. Either the PCB was wrong at the time or now. Make no sense.

Khan | 9 years ago | Reply Mubarak to all PAKISTANIS around the world. Pakistan kept it's custom alive. i.e. award positions without any merit. Just like Pantee Punture appointment........Chosen ODI captain is the one who did not even play ODI before selection..... Allah o Akbar.

Ali | 9 years ago | Reply Azhar is calm and better educated than rest of the bunch. At the end of the day the captain has to give an interview and when rest of the cricket teams' captains can speak good English why can't ours? I think its a good choice secondly sarfaraz can learn English too, Wasim did it why can't he? And as for the form, according to our cricket board sarfaraz wasn't in form and couldn't open on Australian pitches. Were the board members correct? Give players a chance rather than start this Karachi vs Punjab crap. There are a lot of pathans in our team too and some of them like afridi are from Karachi.

Shahid | 9 years ago | Reply Sarfaraz should has been named as captain. If he is a fighter and has been the captain of the winning World cup U19 team, then what is the point?? One of the board members believes that Sarfaraz can't express himself in English, that's the reason he can't be named as as Captain. WHAT A PATHETIC LOGIC!

MJ | 9 years ago | Reply Sarfaraz led the U19 team to WC victory. He is being punished for not following the script.

SHN | 9 years ago | Reply Sarfaraz vice captain? Oh right he's from Karachi, of course he can't be captain. What a joke.

raja | 9 years ago | Reply PCB is throwing a surprise for 2019 WC. All other teams are expecting Sarfraz to head the team and they are already doing research to device game plan for him. PCB pulled rabbit by surprising all others, by naming a non-team person AZhar as captain. Now all teams are scrambling to get info on him. Good chance just before 2019 WC he will get on injured list and will be replaced suddenly, so this is Confuse the opposition strategy.

ameen | 9 years ago | Reply I think we shouldn't criticise azhar before he's captained even aa single game, give the guy a chance. He didn't go to the world cup because there were too many players like him on the team (misbah, you is both undroppable). Time will tell if it's a good decision but decision to make sarfraz vc is good.

Shahid | 9 years ago | Reply After Misbah we dont have any player in the team who is a reliable batsman and has leadership qualities. Azhar has both. I think its a rational decision as there was no other player in the team who could be made a captain. Its a gamble lets hope it comes through.

Shahid | 9 years ago | Reply Best of Luck Azhar! Make us proud.

Zee | 9 years ago | Reply The guy who was not our first choice in the world cup squad, the guy who was dropped from the world cup squad, came back in team as a captain. What a loser cricket board we have.

awaam | 9 years ago | Reply Its funny that Sarfaraz is Vice Captain in all three formats with a different Captain in each format

adeel abbas | 9 years ago | Reply Just wondering, if he was so good then why he was not part of Worldcup squad at first place? and if he is not in good form, then how can he be made a captain? To me, every thing is messed up in Pakistan and its cricket.

Sam | 9 years ago | Reply I still feel Sarfaraz deserved the captaincy. Team needs younger captain. Anyhow wish Azher all the best and hope he deliver the goods.

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