PCB appoint Azhar Ali as Test captain and Babar Azam as T20I captain

[Rellu_Katta]

We tried Azhar Ali as captain , he failed and he was removed as captain. So What's the idea of making him captain again? Misbah Bhai doing best what he can.
I don't understand what wrong has Haris sohail done. He was our best batsman Last year, He should have got Test as well as Odi captaincy . Babar being his Vc.

finally some1 talking sense... completly agree with you... Harris Sohail shold have be given test and ODI captaincy and Imad shld be given T20


feel bad for imad and Harris - both deserve a lot more limelight than they get

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Logical to sack Sarfraz, but poor replacements.

Imad should have been captain for the T20 and ODI format with Babar as his deputy. Now I am afraid the extra pressure will effect Babar's batting.

Azhar Ali is just lucky that Misbah likes him.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Interesting to see what sarfaraz does with his lack of form and fitness now hes been dropped and see if he pushes to get back in the side.

 

[Omer Baloch]

It's obvious that rizwan will replace Sarfaraz in tests but who will be our wicket-keeping batsman in T20Is?

 

[Danyaalr01]

It's obvious that rizwan will replace Sarfaraz in tests but who will be our wicket-keeping batsman in T20Is?

Probably Rizwan. He has had a pretty good national t20 cup so far.

 

[Abdullah719]

finally some1 talking sense... completly agree with you... Harris Sohail shold have be given test and ODI captaincy and Imad shld be given T20


feel bad for imad and Harris - both deserve a lot more limelight than they get

Fitness probably played a part with both Imad and Haris.

 

[Kroll]

Just hope Azhar is prepared to do battle. If he goes all out defensive, then it's a guaranteed defeat on the cards.

 

[srh]

Bismillah Khan should be the WK in T20s now. Clean hitter.

In Tests Rizwan probably will be picked but I am not sold on him. Adnan Akmal can also make a comeback.

 

[Rellu_Katta]

Fitness probably played a part with both Imad and Haris.

could be the case.... Harris more so than Imad ...

 

[BalluBalleBaaz]

Babar deserves it, way above his teammates.

He seems shy, would be interesting how he deals with constant limelight.

 

[cricket4all]

Congratulations to the two and whether they are the right men or not is another matter, but so glad Sarfraz has been removed. His captaincy is appalling and even more he doesn't warrant a place in all 3 forms of the game. His batting has been poor and his keeping isn't anything special and at times poor too. He has done well for Pak in the past but now doesn't deserve to be in the national side in all forms. Sad but true.

 

[cricket4all]

Is Sarfraz still ODI captain? If he is then that's mind boggling and a bizzare situation. They should make Babar the ODI cap as well.

 

[thecrusade911]

Fitness probably played a part with both Imad and Haris.

Just wait and watch Harris Sohail will be brutally exposed in Australia. He simply can't play short pitch bowling. Babar deserves captainship over Imad and Harris anyday. It's not like Imad and Harris have done anything humongous in their captaincy tenure whichever the team they have captained. Babar was the choice simply because he has been our best player for the past couple of years.

 

[Titan24]

Some posters are really riled up here.

Post Younus and Misbah Azhar is the best batsman we have in tests and couple of poor seasons cant change that fact. So he was the deserving captain and eventually Babar can take over in couple or so years. Suggesting Shan, Haris etc when they have played 16 (Avg of 26) and 10 matches respectively was never gonna happen at international level. There was no other option.

Babar is the best player in LOIs we have and someone who doesnÂ’t believe that can show me a better performer in ODIs and T20s combined. He also captained at U19 level and now captaining the CP team in the domestics as well. He is someone who team respects because he performs for the team and wins them matches along with standing up when chips are down as he showed against NZ in WC.

Coming to Rizwan who will replace Sarfraz as WK, he has performed at domestic level, for Pakistan A as well as international level in 5 matches earlier this year with couple of centuries against Australia. He is a fit and athletic guy who has done everything humanly possible to get this chance.

To shed more light on how big an upgrade he is over Sarfaraz one can esily see that Sarfaraz scored 2 centuries in 114 ODIs (Including one against Ireland) while Rizwan scored the same number in 32 ODIs and both came against in same series against Australia. He is the best choice we have as none of the other keeper batsmen are ready for international cricket at the moment.

 

[aloo paratha]

Thank God. Sarfraz is too shameless to leave himself, he needed the boot.

 

[Titan24]

Both the decisions are totally based upon merit and not based upon who can speak better english or who can shout at the players in the field.

A good day for Pak cricket. Nobody can predict results but one thing is for sure and that is merit prevailed in terms of captaincy after almost a decade. Azhar was never a deserving ODI captain, while Sarfaraz’s U19 days glory and his captaincy of QG made a lot including me to believe he is the right man for the job however, his methods along with his poor fitness and his non performance as a player could have only survived for so long. If you cant inspire your players you can never become a successful captain.

 

[coy0607]

More than anything, I really hope Babar puts performance over family/friends and doesn't push for the Akmal's selection

There is no evidence against Babar, but historically Pakistani captains haven't been great at this

 

[coy0607]

Both the decisions are totally based upon merit and not based upon who can speak better english or who can shout at the players in the field.

Azhar's previous experience as captain was horrible, much like his batting form in the past 2 years.

So I don't see how that decision is based on merit. Clearly Azhar's "presentation" skills and close association with Misbah played a part here

 

[hafizexpress]

Just afraid Babar doesn't get the respect he deserves as captain because he's still fairly young; and I hope Misbah doesn't just treat him like a baby giving out orders and whatnot.. he is more than 20 years older after all.

 

[Shafi]

So 3 whitewashes on the card. Should make him captain for Australia series only.

 

[Mainul]

Sarfaraz has been dropped from the squads as well. He has been told to perform in domestic cricket if he wants to be selected again.

What is the test squad?

 

[Titan24]

Azhar's previous experience as captain was horrible, much like his batting form in the past 2 years.

So I don't see how that decision is based on merit. Clearly Azhar's "presentation" skills and close association with Misbah played a part here

He never captained in tests before while he wasnt even playing in ODIs when he was given the captaincy and his style was never suited for LOIs. He was always looked at for test captaincy until that wrong decision of making him ODI captain took place.

Azhar is your best batsman in tests, look at his 100s and career average and two seasons cant define a player while Babar is the best batsman in LOIs, his record can also be seen. Both have captained at domestic level and Babar has capatined at U19 level as well.

So I dont know how it isnt on merit? Making Shan, Asad or Haris captain of test would have been on merit? I dont think so as there are countless number of points which show they wouldnt have made it on merit.

 

[watson367]

Babar will have to learn English

 

[Usman Chadda]

do you want him to put 2 R's in front of his name so that he can succeed... bcz clearly there isnt enough sample size to portray him a waste.... but looks like ur pundit-skill set is what you using .. or maybe Rizwan'z kundali has some shunni crap in it ... or his stars are out of place lol

he might not succeed but wasting 2 years with sarfraz, 10 years with pea-brain junior akmal and 20 years of afridi-toxic and now people arent even ready to give this guy 10 matches... bravo

Yeah the solution to disregarding non-performing cricketers is to select anothet cricketer who will inevitably fail at international level.

Rizwan has batted enough number of times to suggest his trampoline batting style will be exposef horribly against better bowlets.

 

[Titan24]

Just afraid Babar doesn't get the respect he deserves as captain because he's still fairly young; and I hope Misbah doesn't just treat him like a baby giving out orders and whatnot.. he is more than 20 years older after all.

Respect is earned and he has already earned that by being the best performer of the team in the last few years. Players in his team look upto him to perform and that has nothing to do with the age. If you are not a performer, you can be 20 or 35 for that matter nobody is going to give you respect in the dressing room if you dont bring something to the team or the game.

 

[Titan24]

Yeah the solution to disregarding non-performing cricketers is to select anothet cricketer who will inevitably fail at international level.

Rizwan has batted enough number of times to suggest his trampoline batting style will be exposef horribly against better bowlets.

And what makes you believe that Rohail Nazir or anyone else doesnt have a lot of limitations? As they clearly have and are not yet ready for international cricket and they havent even done anything of note in domestics as well.

When was the last time a Pakistani keeper batsman scored 2 100s in an ODI series? I dont remember. Not saying he is Bradman but he is the best we have and has totally deserves a long run in internationals.

 

[coy0607]

He never captained in tests before while he wasnt even playing in ODIs when he was given the captaincy and his style was never suited for LOIs. He was always looked at for test captaincy until that wrong decision of making him ODI captain took place.

Azhar is your best batsman in tests, look at his 100s and career average and two seasons cant define a player while Babar is the best batsman in LOIs, his record can also be seen. Both have captained at domestic level and Babar has capatined at U19 level as well.

So I dont know how it isnt on merit? Making Shan, Asad or Haris captain of test would have been on merit? I dont think so as there are countless number of points which show they wouldnt have made it on merit.

I never said Shan, Asad or Haris were more deserving. But I don't see how you can call someone who in the past was a very mediocre leader (took Pakistan to #9 in ODI rankings!) and average's 25 in the past 2 years a deserving choice for captain. That is incomprehensible

Change for the sake of change isn't necessarily a good thing. And if you really want to move on, I would just go with Babar. He has captaincy experience, and averages 50 where Azhar averages 25

 

[Titan24]

I never said Shan, Asad or Haris were more deserving. But I don't see how you can call someone who in the past was a very mediocre leader (took Pakistan to #9 in ODI rankings!) and average's 25 in the past 2 years a deserving choice for captain. That is incomprehensible

Change for the sake of change isn't necessarily a good thing. And if you really want to move on, I would just go with Babar. He has captaincy experience, and averages 50 where Azhar averages 25

Change for the sake of change?

We have lost everything under Sarfaraz in tests with the exception of 1-0 win over Aus, so I will call it a much needed change.

Again as I have said 2 poor seasons cant take away from Azhar what a prolific batsman he has been for Pak in the last decade along with Misbah and Younus. He has a 200 in Australia and a 300 against WI, just because he had poor couple of seasons doesnt make it against merit at all.

Babar has just 1 100 under his belt in tests. Hopefully he can get 3-5 big scores in next 1.5-2 years and establish himself in tests. He will eventually takeover but him trying to find his feet in tests and captaining 3 formats at the age of 24 would have been an almost impossible task even if we look at history of captains in last few decades.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Yeah the solution to disregarding non-performing cricketers is to select anothet cricketer who will inevitably fail at international level.

Rizwan has batted enough number of times to suggest his trampoline batting style will be exposef horribly against better bowlets.

Rizwan has done decently in internationals though.

 

[Plumb]

Sacking Sarfaraz ok make sense..

Appointing Babar ?? the only decent batsmen who is the backbone of the team on top of that he was not interested in captaincy but in scoring runs, Now we have made sure that he gets destroyed with the pressure of captaincy.

Azhar Ali test captain? not sure I don't think he got the brains of a captain.

All in all pakistan's 30 yrs+ problem of not having a good captain, not having a decent batting lineup continues and PCB is still not understanding that they need to identify and groom u19 players so that they are ready when play for national team

 

[Boi]

Logical to sack Sarfraz, but poor replacements.

Imad should have been captain for the T20 and ODI format with Babar as his deputy. Now I am afraid the extra pressure will effect Babar's batting.

Azhar Ali is just lucky that Misbah likes him.

Imad struggles to run after a ball in the outfield and you want him to be captain? Come on bro. Unfit players should be nowhere near the captaincy.

Azhar needs to get his form back with the bat otherwise this will prove a pretty poor decision.

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

Bobby as T20I captain is an optimistic choice but I'm hoping he learns quickly on the job.

Saifi could've been persisted with in T20Is because of our record under him. Its a 50/50 decision IMO.

Dropping Saifi from Tests is a good move. We need 6 proper batsmen rather than 5+wk.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Pakistan cricket is in a mess. 3 captains for 3 formats is not going to work well.

 

[Titan24]

Pakistan cricket is in a mess. 3 captains for 3 formats is not going to work well.

ODI captain hasnt been announced, Babar will get it most probably if he has a decent stint as captain in T20s.

 

[Amjid Javed]

ODI captain hasnt been announced, Babar will get it most probably if he has a decent stint as captain in T20s.

Next ODI series is july next year, so need to name a captain now.

 

[Shazzam]

I am gonna say it right now Don’t think Azhar Ali nor Babar Azam are fit to be captain.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan’s former wicket-keeper batsman Moin Khan lashes out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for removing Sarfraz Ahmed as captain from T20I format.

While talking to ARY News, Khan said that Sarfraz never made it into the good books of head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis.

“Misbah and Waqar never liked Sarfraz. I am shocked that the PCB has removed Sarfraz from captaincy in T20I cricket. He has led Pakistan to 11 consecutive T20I series’ win and you can’t remove him due to few poor performances,” said Khan while adding that this decision will hurt Pakistan’s cricket.

The former Test captain once again speaks out against Misbah getting dual posts in the national team. “I think making a single person too powerful won’t work for Pakistan’s cricket,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the PCB on Friday sacked Sarfraz from all three format’s captaincy. Azhar Ali has been appointed as the captain for Test team while Babar Azam will lead the national T20I team.

https://arysports.tv/misbah-waqar-never-liked-sarfraz-ahmed-says-moin-khan/

 

[sshakir411]

The messiahs have arrived

 

[Titan24]

Moin needs to understand that 11 consecutive wins werent because of Sarfaraz only rather players like Babar, Amir, Fakhar Shaheen etc stood up when required. As a player Sarfaraz has just been a free rider for sometime now.

 

[Nasty Naz]

I'd hope Azhar is just a temporary placeholder because it could get pretty ugly otherwise. His performances last two years haven't even warranted a spot on the Test squad at all and yet he's now named captain and a fixture in the lineup for some time to come.

And god forbid if Azhar continues to keep batting himself at 3 so our woeful openers can continue playing.

Glad to see Babar being named captain. It's his time to reign supreme and I think he'll do a good job of it. He may not be the biggest leader with words but he'll set the example of what to do on the field.

And it sounds like Sarfraz is being dropped from the formats along with being let go from his captaincy. A brutal day for him and its easy to crap on him but he did do a good job for a while in LOI particularly. Won us a Championship Trophy and literally played for years non-stop in every format without any rest as a wicketkeeper. Him getting older along with getting zero rest for years did him in IMO.

As for Rizwan, he is very much deserving of this chance. 44 AVG in FC and nearly 50 AVG and 90 SR in List A domestically and he is in the midst of his prime. Hope he continues to excel.

 

[Boi]

Have to agree with Moin on this one. Misbah has done Sarfraz over by ‘experimenting’ with squad selection in such a bad way for the SL series that it has cost Sarfraz the captaincy.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Pakistan’s former wicket-keeper batsman Moin Khan lashes out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for removing Sarfraz Ahmed as captain from T20I format.

While talking to ARY News, Khan said that Sarfraz never made it into the good books of head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis.

“Misbah and Waqar never liked Sarfraz. I am shocked that the PCB has removed Sarfraz from captaincy in T20I cricket. He has led Pakistan to 11 consecutive T20I series’ win and you can’t remove him due to few poor performances,” said Khan while adding that this decision will hurt Pakistan’s cricket.

The former Test captain once again speaks out against Misbah getting dual posts in the national team. “I think making a single person too powerful won’t work for Pakistan’s cricket,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the PCB on Friday sacked Sarfraz from all three format’s captaincy. Azhar Ali has been appointed as the captain for Test team while Babar Azam will lead the national T20I team.

https://arysports.tv/misbah-waqar-never-liked-sarfraz-ahmed-says-moin-khan/

Moin khan the guy who along with sarfaraz have been worst pakistan captains ever.

Cant forgive moin for losing a test series at home vs england in a shameful manner, same way pakistan lost in UAE to new zealand under sarfaraz.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Imad struggles to run after a ball in the outfield and you want him to be captain? Come on bro. Unfit players should be nowhere near the captaincy.

Azhar needs to get his form back with the bat otherwise this will prove a pretty poor decision.

He is very unfit yet manages to play all our T20I fixtures.

 

[The Viper]

Making Babar T20 Captain makes sense as it allows the higher ups to access his captaincy and how it effects his performances.

 

[Hasan123]

Excellent news. We can now move on from Sarfraz.

Babar is a very good appointment.

Azhar Ali seems to be a short term option. I think PCB want Shan to earn his place in tests or Babar to improve in tests. One of them will be made captain in the future.

 

[CadPakFan]

Even though this isnt the best selection as Azhar himself has stated he wouldnt see himself as the best captain. But I guess he is the best short term option as he was our best batsman for a while and seems to be one of the people fit for the position at the moment.

 

[Danyaalr01]

What is the test squad?

The squad hasn’t been announced yet, but they said Sarfaraz has been dropped.

 

[Danyaalr01]

He is very unfit yet manages to play all our T20I fixtures.

That’s cause t20i doesn’t really take a toll on your body, and Imad’s a spinner.

 

[Hawkeye]

Rizwan is a worthless cricketer.

Something we can agree on.

I'm glad you made the right call here.

 

[Hawkeye]

Only Misbah could have done it.

Moin Khan, Omar , ARY et. al. going for Misbah's head. It's not an easy job to touch Sarfraz.

Strong media lobby backing him.

 

[Mainul]

Pakistan cricket is in a mess. 3 captains for 3 formats is not going to work well.

Who will make this understandable to PCB? World cricket is going on one way, Pak cricket on the other way. Chielf selector cum head coach, what a tragedy!!!

 

[Usman Chadda]

And what makes you believe that Rohail Nazir or anyone else doesnt have a lot of limitations? As they clearly have and are not yet ready for international cricket and they havent even done anything of note in domestics as well.

When was the last time a Pakistani keeper batsman scored 2 100s in an ODI series? I dont remember. Not saying he is Bradman but he is the best we have and has totally deserves a long run in internationals.

Rohail Nazir does have a lot of limitations, but atleast we'll have the satisfaction of knowing the kid can swim and learn on the job. Unfortunately, due to the lack of options around, we definitely have to take such a risk. Rizwan and Kamran Akmal are mediocre cricketers, who won't amount to anything ever (although Kamran at his peak was light-years ahead of what Rizwan could ever do).

We don't need useless hundreds. The second hundred was one of the most worthless I have ever seen, when this midget left the team high and dry at a precarious position. The one game that he had to face a decent bowling attack, with Cummins back, he was thrown back to the dressing room with his tails between his legs.

Didn't we have a bunch of PPers comment he looked like a tail-ender in South Africa, and was not the answer? Please dig up the commentary threads if you want. Pakistan fans have the memory of a goldfish.

 

[thecrusade911]

He is very unfit yet manages to play all our T20I fixtures.

Why do you think Imad should have been made captain. Has he done anything noticeable as a captain in domestics or in general as a player in Pakistan cricket team. He has only won us a single match that too agains Afghanistan. Babar has been our best bat for 2 years now. He is no. 1 in T20s hence was the obvious choice. It's not like Imad or Harris are some leaders. You don't have any leader so you choose based on who has performed the best.

 

[BalluBalleBaaz]

Im sure Sarfraz is a brilliant guy but if you dont lead from front you lose respect from young leadership group in the team.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Why do you think Imad should have been made captain. Has he done anything noticeable as a captain in domestics or in general as a player in Pakistan cricket team. He has only won us a single match that too agains Afghanistan. Babar has been our best bat for 2 years now. He is no. 1 in T20s hence was the obvious choice. It's not like Imad or Harris are some leaders. You don't have any leader so you choose based on who has performed the best.

Imad has been our best finisher since 2017 in both ODI and t20's. There is a reason he has a very good batting average batting that low.

Babar has shown no leadership qualities and has been poor in the ongoing National T20 cup consistently making strategical blunders. There is a reason the best team in the tournament is ranking last.

I love Babar Azam and I am afraid this will affect his batting in the long run making Pakistan an even more mediocre team. We should have protected him and given him more time to learn. He could have captained in the PSL first which is a high pressure league as well.

Now if Babar doesn't do well after a few series things will get very chaotic and messy in the Pakistani set up.

 

[Markhor]

Pakistan’s former wicket-keeper batsman Moin Khan lashes out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for removing Sarfraz Ahmed as captain from T20I format.

While talking to ARY News, Khan said that Sarfraz never made it into the good books of head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis.

“Misbah and Waqar never liked Sarfraz. I am shocked that the PCB has removed Sarfraz from captaincy in T20I cricket. He has led Pakistan to 11 consecutive T20I series’ win and you can’t remove him due to few poor performances,” said Khan while adding that this decision will hurt Pakistan’s cricket.

The former Test captain once again speaks out against Misbah getting dual posts in the national team. “I think making a single person too powerful won’t work for Pakistan’s cricket,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the PCB on Friday sacked Sarfraz from all three format’s captaincy. Azhar Ali has been appointed as the captain for Test team while Babar Azam will lead the national T20I team.

https://arysports.tv/misbah-waqar-never-liked-sarfraz-ahmed-says-moin-khan/

Moin Khan talking about dual roles. Wasn't he Chief Selector and Manager at one point ?

 

[kingusama92]

Imad has been our best finisher since 2017 in both ODI and t20's. There is a reason he has a very good batting average batting that low.

Babar has shown no leadership qualities and has been poor in the ongoing National T20 cup consistently making strategical blunders. There is a reason the best team in the tournament is ranking last.

I love Babar Azam and I am afraid this will affect his batting in the long run making Pakistan an even more mediocre team. We should have protected him and given him more time to learn. He could have captained in the PSL first which is a high pressure league as well.

Now if Babar doesn't do well after a few series things will get very chaotic and messy in the Pakistani set up.

Imad doesn't have the work ethic needed to become captain. He literally failed a fitness test a year ago when everyone else passed including Sarfraz (lol).

We just got out of the clutches of Sarfraz and repeating the same mistake would be disastrous. Remember, even Sarfraz was performing well until his bad habits caught up to him.

This time around, they likely wanted someone that easily earns a spot on the team (in all conditions) and doesn't have fitness/work ethic issues. Babar is the only one that fits.

Will it work out? Maybe not. But it's worth a shot and could push him to new heights.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Imad doesn't have the work ethic needed to become captain. He literally failed a fitness test a year ago when everyone else passed including Sarfraz (lol).

We just got out of the clutches of Sarfraz and repeating the same mistake would be disastrous. Remember, even Sarfraz was performing well until his bad habits caught up to him.

This time around, they likely wanted someone that easily earns a spot on the team (in all conditions) and doesn't have fitness/work ethic issues. Babar is the only one that fits.

Will it work out? Maybe not. But it's worth a shot and could push him to new heights.

That's actually true and I also heard that Misbah isn't hapy with Imad. Despite good performances Imad could soon be out of the team alongside Wahab.

But considering how dependable we are on Babar I wouldn't have taken this risk just yet. Anyway we shall see how this unfolds. Just hope Malik 2007 doesn't happen to Babar as the experience mentally scarred Malik for a long time.