Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan is likely to replace Azhar Ali as the new skipper of the Test team. It has merely been 12 months Azhar Ali had replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed as the skipper of the Test format.
In the recent development, the board is now considering a younger candidate to fill in the position of the Azhar Ali.
And as per the sources, the board has been keeping an eye on Mohammad Rizwan as the most potential candidate in the line. And if it credible, the development would most likely take place ahead of the forthcoming tour of New Zealand in December.
The annual appraisal of Azhar Ali is being comprehended by the PCB while the board CEO Wasim Khan has even met him. The final decision still lies in to the hands of the PCB chairman Ehsan Mani who is yet to meet Ali on the matter.
Rizwan was one of the standout performers for Pakistan in the three-match Test series against England in August. He established himself as one of the most reliable middle-order batsman and tackled the deliveries of England’s pacers on their pitch.
On the other hand, Azhar Ali has been off colours from the last couple of years and managed to score only one century at home last year.
He was silence with the bat in the Test series against England except on one occasion where he scored a fighting century in Southampton.
Wasim Akram who was in the commentary panel during the series also questioned the tactics of the skipper in the series.
“It will hurt the Pakistan team and the cricket lovers in Pakistan,” Akram said.
“Winning and losing is part of cricket, but I think our captain missed a trick quite a few times in this game, as far as his leadership is concerned,” he added.
It is unlikely now that Ali will have a longer stay as the skipper of the Test team as the board looks to replace him before the NZ tour.
