Sarfraz retained as Captain, Babar named Vice Captain
LAHORE (APP):Sarfaraz Ahmed has been retained as Pakistan captain while Babar Azam has been named as vice-captain for three ODIs and three T20I home series against Sri Lanka, which will be held from Sept 27 to Oct 9.
In April 2016, Sarfaraz was appointed Pakistan captain for the T20Is before being elevated as ODI captain in early 2017. He was then named captain across all formats following the 2017 tour of the West Indies. To date, Sarfaraz has captained Pakistan in 13 Tests, 48 ODIs and 34 T20Is, winning four, 26 and 29 matches respectively.
Babar Azam is ranked 16th in Tests, third in ODIs and No.1 in T20Is, and has previously captained Pakistan in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2012. He had also featured in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2010 before breaking into international cricket in 2015 and since has been a regular feature of the side in all formats.
The appointments were confirmed by PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, following recommendations made by Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq and the PCB Cricket Committee.
Sarfaraz Ahmed said on Friday : “I feel humbled and honoured to have been awarded extension to my captaincy term. I have enjoyed captaining the Pakistan cricket team and look forward to improve my leadership qualities under the new set-up of Misbah-ul-Haq who also has a proven record as captain.
“I have played most of my cricket under Misbah and we know each other pretty well. I think we will make a good combination, which will contribute to improved performances of the side across all formats.
“I am aware we have not done justice to our potential in ODIs, which has disappointed us as well as our fans. I am hopeful we will be able to turn things around in the coming season and in this relation, I remain committed to stepping up to the challenge with my performances and captaincy.
“I have complete faith in my team, which has time and again shown the talent, class and charisma it possesses. The only thing missing has been consistency, which Misbah and I would like to focus and improve across all departments of the game. I assure all our fans we will not leave any stone unturned in our preparations for the forthcoming assignments and will do our best to translate these preparations into solid performances.”
