Pakistan limited-overs skipper Babar Azam set to take over Test leadership from Azhar Ali in New Zealand tour

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Board of Governors (BOG) on Monday is expected to give its seal of approval on the appointment of Babar Azam as the new Test captain for the upcoming tour to New Zealand replacing Azhar Ali. “Babar is the unanimous choice to be appointed Test captain and he has had discussions with top officials and given his consent to take up the challenge,” a PCB source said. The BOG, which will hold its meeting in Lahore on Monday, is also tipped to have two new members, former men’s captain Shahid Afridi and women’s captain Sana Mir as its new members. [caption id=“attachment_8676741” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Pakistan’s Babar Azam in action against England. AP[/caption] Both the former players will be inducted on the BOG as independent technocrats which are positions as laid down in the constitution of the board. The PCB confirmed on Sunday that the agenda for Monday’s meeting included a review of the report on the national men’s team performances. A reliable source in the board said that while chairman Ehsan Mani will seek approval to appoint a new Test captain on Monday, the official announcement should come on 11 November, when the board will announce 35-strong squad for the New Zealand tour. New Zealand Cricket has asked the PCB to send a maximum of 35 players in its national team and A squad. The PCB source said that the board felt that it was time to invest in Babar and this would allow him to learn with time and settle down as long-term captain in all three formats with three World Cups coming up in the next three years, two of them in India. “The mantra behind wanting to make Babar Test captain is that make your best player the captain,” the source said. Azhar, however, will be touring New Zealand for the two-Test series.