Pakistan May Sack Azhar Ali as Test Captain; Babar And Rizwan Favourites to Take Over: Report

Azhar Ali was named Pakistan Test captain last year in October after sacking of the then skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Pakistan is mulling over replacing the current Test captain Azhar Ali for the tour of New Zealand with limited-overs captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan leading the race to succeed him into the role.

According to a report. Azhar has lost the confidence of an influential member of the cricket committee. Additionally, the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ehsan Mani and CEO Wasim Khan are also mulling over his sacking.

Ahzar, who is the most experienced Test cricketer among the active Pakistan players, was appointed Test captain last October when the then skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed was sacked.

With just 12 months in the job, Azhar saw the Pakistan team lose two-nil in Australia before leading them to victories over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at home.

Earlier this year, Pakistan toured England where they lost a three-match Test series 0-1.

Wasim told a television channel that a meeting may be held on November 11 to decide on Azhar’s future.

Babar, already the captain of the ODI and T20I teams is among the favourites but Rizwan, who recently captained his team to the National T20 Cup title, may give him stiff competition.

The PCB is also in hunt of a new chief selector after Misbah ul Haq, the Pakistan head coach,  stepped down recently.

According to ESPNcricinfo, the PCB has already carried out Azhar’s annual appraisal and the CEO has already had a meeting with him. The final call rests with Mani who is expected to meet the current Test captain in the upcoming 10 days.

Azhar has struggled with his batting form with a fighting century in England coming as a saving grace.