We Will Decide About Azhar Ali's Captaincy After The Australia Series, Says PCB Chairman 1

With pressure on Azhar Ali mounting after yet another poor display in the 50-overs format, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan has said the decision regarding Azhar Ali’s captaincy will be taken only after the ongoing ODI series in Australia concludes.

The visitors, who are 3-1 down in the five-match series, are currently the eighth-ranked one-day team in the world and if they drop out of the top eight by September, they’ll miss out on automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup. Consequently, they’ll be forced to enter a 10-team qualifying tournament in Bangladesh in 2018.

Speaking to Daily Express after Pakistan lost the fourth match by 86 runs, Shaharyar said:

“I don’t want to talk about Azhar Ali in the middle of the series. We will decide about the captaincy once the ongoing series finishes.”

Pakistan’s misery has been compounded by their poor fielding display. They missed as many as four easy catches in the fourth ODI which allowed Steven Smith’s men to score a mammoth 353.

Speaking on the fielding performance, Shaharyar said: 

“Team’s performance was extremely poor, especially in the fielding department. In the third ODI, the fielders missed some chances, but in the fourth match they dropped five catches. How can you expect [Pakistan] to win a match with that performance?”

Meanwhile, the PCB chairman said the decision over whether to retain Misbah-ul-Haq as the Test captain has been left on him only. Pakistan has lost six Tests in a row and speculations are rife that the veteran skipper will step down soon but nothing concrete has been heard so far.

“We have left the decision of retirement on Misbah, as he can decide what’s best for him,” he said. “There is still some time left before the start of the new series. We are not thinking on the lines of giving him a farewell match, but he is our most successful captain in the Test format, so we want to give him a fitting send off.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan will look to end the disastrous tour on a high when they take on Australia in the final ODI on January 26 in Adelaide.