Sarfaraz Ahmed Set To Replace Babar Azam As Test Captain Ahead Of Pakistan's Tour Of Australia: Report
Published - 28 Oct 2023, 12:53 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 10:02 AM
Wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed is reportedly in contention to replace Babar Azam as the captain of Pakistan. Several reports from Pakistani media suggest that Babar Azam’s days as the captain are numbered following his team’s poor performance in the Asia Cup and the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
Pakistan entered the World Cup as one of the strong contenders but has failed to do well so far. They began their campaign with two wins before suffering four losses in a row. With just 4 points from 6 games, Pakistan are currently languishing at the sixth spot in the points table and are on the verge of being knocked out of the tournament.
As Babar Azam continues to struggle on the field, reports suggest that he is likely to get sacked as the captain of the team. The rumors and reports will only increase after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Zaka Ashraf met Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shahnawaz Dahani on Friday (October 27) at the Pakistan Cricket headquarters in Lahore.
PCB chief meets Sarfaraz Ahmed:
Ashraf congratulated Karachi Whites for winning the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24. According to a report in Cricket Pakistan, he heaped praise on Sarfaraz Ahmed’s leadership qualities for leading Karachi to glory in Pakistan’s premier First-Class competition.
Allah ka shukar hai ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/tdOxjPPink
— Sarfaraz Ahmed (@SarfarazA_54) October 26, 2023
Sarfaraz Ahmed is not new to leading Pakistan. He led Pakistan across formats from 2016 to 2019. In 2017, Pakistan won their first-ever Champions Trophy title under his captaincy. And the wicketkeeper-batsman is reportedly in line to lead the team again.
The report stated that he is under consideration to step into the role of Test captain for the upcoming Australia tour. Apart from captaincy, Sarfaraz Ahmed impressed with his batting in the domestic circuit. He was the leading run-scorer in the victorious campaign and was adjudged the Player of the Tournament.
Incidentally, Sarfaraz Ahmed was sacked as the Test captain last time just before the tour of Australia. He was replaced by Azhar Ali. And the veteran cricketer is now in line to take back the Test captaincy just before another tour of Australia.
