Islaabad: PCB Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf met Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shanawaz Dahani on Friday at the Pakistan cricket headquarters in Lahore.

The PCB Chairman congratulated Karachi Whites for winning the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24 and hailed the leadership qualities of their captain Sarfaraz Ahmed while also appreciating the performance of fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani. Zaka Ashraf also reaffirmed PCB's commitment to continue to work for the players' well-being and support of regional cricket. Sarfaraz is also under consideration to step into the role of Test captain for the upcoming Australia tour, potentially taking over from Babar Azam. Potential changes in the team management are also under consideration.

The future of Babar Azam’s captaincy hinges on Pakistan’s performance in the ongoing World Cup. Pakistan needs to win all their remaining games in the World Cup, in order to qualify for the semi-finals. Having recently led Karachi Whites to triumph in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Sarfaraz is currently in exceptional form, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer and was also adjudged as the player of the tournament.

 During the meeting, Sarfaraz Ahmed also provided insights and recommendations to Zaka Ashraf, particularly addressing the challenges prevalent in domestic cricket.

The three-match Test series against Australia is scheduled post the World Cup, with the first Test set for December 14 in Perth. It must be noted that Babar Azam led Pakistan to a 2-0 victory over Sri Lanka in July, which was Pakistan’s first series in the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle from 2023-25.

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 28 2023

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