Pakistan appoint Azhar Ali as new ODI captain

KARACHI: Before World Cup 2015, Pakistan cricket’s think-tank didn’t see Azhar Ali as good enough to be in the national team for One-day Internationals.
But after the World Cup, the think-tank didn’t just see the Lahore batsman as good enough to be in the ODI squad – it believed that he was good enough be Pakistan’s new captain.
With that belief, Pakistan’s cricket chief Shaharyar Khan on Monday named Azhar as Misbah-ul-Haq’s successor in the 50-over format.
Combative wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed was appointed as Azhar’s deputy. He was also named as vice-captain to Shahid Afridi in Twenty20 Internationals.
He was not even included in the final 15-man World Cup squad, but the PCB chairman insisted he had proved himself in the Pentangular Cup.
“Azhar Ali has been appointed captain because of his leadership skills, team spirit and character,” Shaharyar told reporters.
“I know Azhar Ali was not in the team in the last two years but his performance in the pentangular series proved that he deserves to be the captain.”
Ali was also named as vice-captain for the Test side, which Misbah will continue to lead, while Shahid Afridi stays on as Twenty20 skipper.
Misbah led the side in 87 of his 162 ODIs, winning 45 of them, and has been a beacon of dogged stability in the often-turbulent world of Pakistani cricket in recent years.
Azhar acknowledged he had a hard act to follow.
“It´s a huge responsibility and I hope that all players will support me. I salute him (Misbah-ul-Haq), the way he served and the way he played. His services are unforgettable,” he said.
“It is a very difficult task to replace him and it (Misbah´s departure) will create a huge gap especially in one-day cricket.”
With Afridi also bowing out of the 50-over game, Pakistan face a period of rebuilding in the coming years, with the batting in particular in need of improvement after some shaky performances at the World Cup.
Meanwhile, it’s a huge turnaround for both Azhar and Sarfraz and exposes Pakistan Cricket Board’s lack of foresight.
The Board did little to prepare Misbah’s replacement in spite of the fact that it knew that the aging batsman was in the twilight of his international career.
And now, because of limited choices it was forced to appoint Azhar, who was branded as a Test-only batsman, as captain of the ODI team.
Azhar made his ODI debut back in 2011 in Belfast against Ireland but played only 14 games before being dumped from the 50-over format. His ODI appearance was against India in Kolkata in January 2013.
However, Azhar is a regular in the Test XI, providing a steadying influence at No. 3.
This is not the first time Azhar has been considered for the Pakistan captaincy. In 2010 he was seen as potential candidate to take over after the spot-fixing saga, despite having only made his debut that year, but then chairman Ijaz Butt chose Misbah on the basis of experience.
Both Misbah and the coach Waqar Younis preferred Azhar for the one-day job because he is seen as a safe, unproblematic choice, as well as a sensible batsman in the mould of his predecessor. He has smooth relationships with fellow players and the board. Azhar has also captained at various levels in Pakistan, with a record of played 34, won 16.
Teams he has led include Lahore Eagles, Lahore Lions, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Khan Research Laboratories and Baluchistan Warriors. Azhar also captained Wahab Riaz and Nasir Jamshed, members of Pakistan’s World Cup squad, at the Under-19 level.
Although he has not played over the last two years, Azhar has been in contention for an ODI place but found senior batsmen Misbah and Younis Khan preferred to him in the line-up. With Misbah’s retirement and uncertainty over how long Younis will continue, the PCB wanted a reliable middle-order replacement and is confident that Azhar can cope with the pressure of being recalled to the side as captain after a long absence.