Sports

It was also decided to hand over the leadership of the Test team to Babar instead of Azhar

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani and chief executive officer Wasim Khan will meet senior batsman Azhar Ali today to take him into confidence, informing him of his removal from the Test team leadership.

Sources in the PCB said that the board has decided to replace Azhar Ali with batsman Babar Azam, who is currently leading the T20 and ODI teams.

Read More:Quit captaincy, focus on batting, advise Azhar Ali

Sources said that the average performance in Australia and England was under constant review of Azhar’s Test leadership where Pakistan had lost both the Test series and the PCB was not satisfied with his performance as captain.

Sources further said that Ehsan Mani has assured Babar Azam of full cooperation in all the three formats and it is quite possible that Babar Azam will lead Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Read More:Echoes of Azhar’s leave a year after Sarfraz was removed from the leadership

Although the Pakistan Cricket Board has not yet made a final decision on the vice-captain of the Test format, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan and opening batsman Shaun Masood are being considered as key candidates for the post.

On the other hand, former national team fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has opposed the removal of Azhar Ali from the Test leadership, calling it an injustice.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shoaib Akhtar said that it was unfair to remove Azhar Ali from the captaincy of the Test team. Azhar Ali will return from his best performance in the upcoming Test matches and should not be removed for a poor performance.

“I agree that Pakistan lost the first Test in Manchester despite being in a better position during the tour of England. Azhar Ali made a mistake in the second innings of the first Test which was criticized,” he said. But he will perform badly in one match but he should not be removed from the captaincy. It is unfair.

Shoaib, who has the distinction of being the fastest bowler in the world, expressed hope that he would be 100 per cent successful in the upcoming matches.

Read More:Despite the criticism, Azhar Ali never thought of leaving the leadership

Expressing frustration, Shoaib Akhtar said that it is unfortunate that such situations are always faced by the players while the management remains the same.

Shoaib Akhtar said that Babar Azam is preparing as a captain and if Babar Azam thinks that he can captain the team in all three formats without putting pressure on his batting form, then he should be made the captain.

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