According to the latest reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed Babar Azam as their new captain for the One Day Internationals. The 25-year-old has been one of the top players in the current scenario in world cricket and has been handed the responsibility alongside being the T20I skipper for Pakistan.
The confirmation of the new appointment was announced by the former Pakistani skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, who is currently the head coach and national selector of the Pakistan cricket team. He said, "I want to congratulate Azhar Ali and Babar Azam for getting captaincy extensions."
Misbah added, "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."
Currently ranked as the world number 3, Azam has had a meteoric rise, to say the least, in the last one and half year time period. The classy right-handed batsman will be replacing Azhar Ali, who was handed the reins of the Pakistan ODI team after the axing of Sarfaraz Ahmed after Pakistan's dismal performance in the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales. Ali, however, will continue as the Test captain for Pakistan.
Babar Azam is held in the highest regard as one of the best batsmen in the current scenario by the cricket experts all around the globe in all three formats of the game. Now it is to be seen whether this new responsibility affects his game or not in the near future. However, this is not the first time that the 25-year-old will be donning the captain's hat in the 50 over format. He has had the privilege to do the same at the Under-19 level at the 2012 World Cup, where he went on to become the highest run-getter for the men in green.
Featured Image Courtesy: India TV News
