Sarfaraz Ahmed will retain his leadership role in Sri Lanka’s limited visit to Pakistan, while Babar Azam will serve as vice-captain.
After the Pakistan Cricket Board and former head coach Mickey Arthur split up after the men’s cricket world championship, in which Pakistan narrowly missed the semi-finals, there was speculation that Sarfaraz would also be out of the game with Pakistan entering a new era , and the PCB selects its captain after series.
The new head coach and chief of selection, Misbah-ul-Haq, has assisted Sarfaraz on his return to the country along with the Pakistan Cricket Committee.
“Consequence was my yardstick for Sarfaraz’s recommendation as captain,” said Misbah. “Besides, I think I’m better able to get the most out of Sarfaraz because I know him better than most cricketers because he played most of his cricket under my captain.”
“I’ve focused on changing players’ culture and mindset to get better results, and I think Sarfaraz is the perfect way to achieve those goals.”
“Over the last few weeks, Sarfaraz and I have worked together in specific areas of his cricket to improve his overall performance. We are both aware that this is a performance-driven world, and we are expected to do our best each time we enter the field. I look forward to working with him and hope that we will be able to change the attitude of the Pakistani cricket team. “
Sarfaraz said he was looking forward to working with Misbah, but acknowledged that his team had room for improvement. “I enjoyed leading the Pakistani Cricket Team and look forward to improving my leadership skills under the new appointment of Misbah-ul-Haq, who also has a proven track record as captain,” he said.
“I played most of my cricket under Misbah and we know each other pretty well. I think we will make a good combination that will help improve the page’s performance in all formats. “
“I am aware that we have not fully exploited our potential in ODIs, which has disappointed us and our fans. I am confident that we can turn things around in the coming season, and in this regard, I remain determined to face the challenge with my achievements and my captain. “
“I have every confidence in my team, which has proven talent, class and charisma again and again. The only thing missing was the consistency that Misbah and I would like to focus and improve in all parts of the game. “
Babar, who has long been known as Pakistan’s leading white-ball batsman, and is hailed as a potential test star, marks the next step on his way to becoming a top Pakistani cricket player.
“We have appointed Babar Azam deputy captain of Sarfaraz,” said Ehsan Mani, PCB chairman. “This is part of Babar’s gradual development as a future captain and is in line with our strategy of introducing a gapless succession plan. I am confident that the trio of Misbah, Sarfaraz and Babar will do well for the Pakistani cricket. “
The first ODI of Pakistan against Sri Lanka will take place on the 27th of September.
