What’s the story?
Sarfraz Ahmed, who is the limited overs skipper of Pakistan, will be appointed as Pakistan’s Test captain soon. After leading Pakistan to a completely unexpected victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, Ahmed is already a successful limited-overs captain for his country.
“It is now just a formality of the PCB Chairman making an announcement when he returns home. The decision has been taken and is final. Sarfraz will take over as Test captain after being appointed as deputy to Misbah-ul-Haq on the recent tour to the West Indies,” a Pakistan Cricket Board official told PTI.
Misbah-ul-Haq was Pakistan’s Test captain for the last seven years and went on to lead the side until his retirement in April this year. With 26 Test wins, Misbah is the most successful captain for Pakistan in the longest format of the game and Ahmed has big shoes to fill in that regard.
Also read: Pakistan Prime Minister offers 10 million rupee bonus to Champions Trophy winners
In case you didn’t know...
Ahmed’s bold captaincy in the Champions Trophy received praise from cricket enthusiasts all across the world. His ability to remain unfazed under pressure and his willingness to back his players under difficult situations have been the hallmark of his still short tenure as the skipper.
He has formed a strong bond with coach Mickey Arthur and looks to have a good hold over his team.
Also read: Why Pakistan need more batsmen like Fakhar Zaman
The details
The official announcement of Ahmed’s being handed the Test captaincy will be made after two PCB officials return to Pakistan from London, where they were scheduled to attend an ICC meeting.
The 30-year-old will now lead Pakistan in all three formats of the game.
What’s next?
Pakistan’s next Test series will in UAE, where they will host the Sri Lankan team led by Angelo Mathews. They were scheduled to tour Bangladesh next month but pulled out of the tour recently.
Hence, Ahmed will soon be the captain but will have to wait for a while to lead his side in a Test match.
Author’s take
After consistently inconsistent for the past half decade, Pakistan finally look to be taking steps in the right direction. They now have a steady captain-coach partnership and an exciting crop of young talent that will be crucial leading up to the ICC World Cup 2019.
It will be held in England and Wales, the same venue where Ahmed lead Pakistan to its maiden Champions Trophy this year. It will be interesting to see the direction in which Pakistan cricket goes in the next few months.
Also read: Sarfraz Ahmed's uncle says India will bounce back
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