Babar Azam appointed Pakistan cricket team's Test captain, confirms PCB
Babar Azam's first assignment will be to captain Pakistan in the ICC World Test Championship fixtures against New Zealand
November 10, 2020
Pakistani batsman Babar Azam has been appointed the national team's Test captain, confirmed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), adding that Azhar Ali has stepped down from the role.
"His (Babar Azam's) first assignment will be to captain Pakistan in the ICC World Test Championship fixtures against New Zealand, which will be played in Mount Maunganui and Christchurch from 26-30 December and 3-7 January, respectively," said the PCB in a press release.
PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani confirmed the appointment after a meeting with outgoing captain Azhar Ali, thanking him for stepping up during his stint as Test captain of the team.
“I want to thank Azhar Ali for stepping up last year by captaining the side in what was a historic first home Test series in over a decade," said Mani. "I believe Azhar still has a lot of cricket left in him and Pakistan cricket can continue to make the best use of his experience and knowledge as specialist top-order batsman moving forward."
Mani said the decision to appoint Babar Azam as skipper was made after his consistent performance and leadership skills as captain of the white-ball formats.
"As we are looking into the future, it is appropriate that we appoint him the captain now so that he continues to grow stronger with every match," he said, wishing the new captain best of luck for the team's future.
Dreams can come true only if you chase them with conviction: Babar
Babar Azam said he was elated at being appointed captain and felt honoured to have his name go down in history with some of the game's greats.
"I can now say with conviction that dreams can come true only if you chase them with honesty, dedication and commitment.
“I am ready and prepared to take up the additional responsibility and the fact which gives me additional confidence is that I can do the job is the experience that is available to me in the changing room in the shape of the players and support staff," he said.
He thanked Azhar Ali for the support that he had given the dressing room over the years.
