By Our Staff reporter
Islamabad: Pakistan Test captain Azhar Ali could lose his job as a side leader when the team toured New Zealand in the midst of rumors that either white-ball skipper Babar Azam or Muhammad Rizwan may replace him.
Azhar, who is the most tried-and-tested player on the national team with 81 appearances, is said to have lost favor with a prominent member of the cricket committee, though PCB Chairman and CEO are also said to have had second thoughts on retaining him as captain.
Last year, in October, he was elected Test Captain after the sacking of Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain and player of all three formats. With just 12 months to go, Azhar saw Pakistan’s team lose two-nil in Australia before winning home the Test over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Then they flew to England, where the three-game Test Series 0-1 was lost.
Wicketkeeper-batsman, Muhammad Rizwan, who is riding on a wave of popularity right now and recently led the KPK team to the title of the National T20 Championship, is said to be the favorite to succeed Azhar.
PCB CEO Wasim Khan told the TV channels that a meeting could be held on 11 November to decide on the future of Azhar and to find a new Chief Selector as Head Coach, Misbah ul Haq resigned.
It’s not the first time a captain could lose his job after only a year. Azhar was captain of the One-day side for almost two years after the 2015 World Cup, until he decided to resign, leading the board to ask Sarfaraz to take over as captain in all three formats.