Talented batsman Babar Azam has been appointed the captain of the Pakistan ODI team. The 25-year-old captains the T20 side already since late last year, and the reins of the 50-over format have now been handed to him from Sarfaraz Ahmed.

 

Meanwhile, Azhar Ali will continue to lead the team in Tests. This was officially announced in a press release by Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday.

 

“I want to congratulate Azhar Ali and Babar Azam for getting captaincy extensions,” head coach and national selector Misbah ul Haq said.

“This is absolutely the right decision as they also require certainty and clarity on their future roles. I am sure they will now start looking to the future and start planning so that they can build sides that can perform at the expected levels.”

 

Azam, cousin of Umar and Kamran Akmal, made his national team debut in 2015 and has been one of their best batsmen in recent times. He averages over 54 in the ODI format currently, having scored 11 centuries and 3,359 runs in 74 matches. He holds the record for most runs in a three-match ODI series, collating 360 runs against West Indies in 2016. He scored centuries in all three matches.

 

Pakistan’s schedule for the upcoming season comprises two T20Is against Ireland away (July), three Tests and three T20Is against England away (July-September), three ODIs and three T20Is in South Africa (October), three ODIs and three T20Is against Zimbabwe at home (November), two tests and three T20Is in New Zealand (December), two Tests and three T20Is against South Africa at home (January 2021) and two Tests and three T20Is in Zimbabwe (April 2021). They will also play the Asia Cup T20 and the T20 World Cup in Australia. The schedule is subject to change due to the pandemic Coronavirus.

 

A new list of Central contracts was also published by the PCB on Wednesday. Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz and Mohammed Amir have been left out of the same. Sarfaraz Ahmed has been demoted from category A to B, while Shaheen Afridi and Azhar Ali have been promoted to Category A with Babar Azam.

PCB Men’s Central Contract List for 2020-21:

Category A

  1. Azhar Ali
  2. Babar Azam
  3. Shaheen Shah Afridi

Category B

  1. Abid Ali
  2. Asad Shafiq
  3. Haris Sohail
  4. Mohammad Abbas
  5. Mohammad Rizwan
  6. Sarfaraz Ahmed
  7. Shadab Khan
  8. Shan Masood
  9. Yasir Shah

Category C

  1. Fakhar Zaman
  2. Iftikhar Ahmed
  3. Imad Wasim
  4. Imam-ul-Haq
  5. Naseem Shah
  6. Usman Shinwari

Emerging Players’ Category

  1. Haider Ali
  2. Haris Rauf
  3. Mohammad Hasnain

 

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