Javed Miandad lashes out at PCB for appointing Azhar Ali as Pakistani Test skipper

Legendary Pakistani batsman and former skipper Javed Miandad has lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) having named Azhar Ali as the Test captain. It was last year that Ali was appointed as Pakistan's captain in red-ball cricket after the 2017 Champions Trophy-winning skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed was sacked from captaincy. However, he has not had a good run with the bat in the ongoing Test series against England as he could only manage 38 runs in three innings.

'Totally incorrect': Javed Miandad

“Azhar Ali has been given the captaincy due to a lack of other candidates which isn’t the right way to go about this.  The problem is that in Pakistan, captaincy seems to be given to individuals based upon a whim, and leaders are never groomed as they are in England. The result is that a Pakistan captain learns on the job instead of using his knowledge and experience, which is totally incorrect and people who have poor leadership skills are elevated into this role,” said Miandad while speaking to  inews.co.uk.

“Our domestic system used to produce good captains but the way the new changes are going, this will become much more difficult to achieve", the 1992 World Cup winner added.

Winner takes it all

There is a lot at stake as the two teams battle it out in the series-deciding third and final Test match that will be played on Friday.

With the series on the line after having snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the first Test at the Old Trafford, Manchester, Pakistan had no choice but to win the following Test in order to stay alive in the three-match Test series. Skipper Azhar Ali won a crucial toss at the Ageas Rose Bowl in Southampton and decided to bat first on a wicket that was expected to slow down as the contest progressed.

However, the visitors suffered yet another batting collapse and bundled out for 236 riding on a fighting half-century from wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan. Just when it appeared that the hosts were in the driver's seat to seal the series, rain played spoilsport. Day 3 was completely abandoned without a ball being bowled and eventually, the contest ended in a stalemate. 
The third and final Test match will be played from August 21-25. It remains to be seen whether Pakistan can stage a remarkable comeback and level the series or will England have the last laugh and end up registering their second consecutive Test series win.

READ: Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler & Jofra Archer Excluded From England's T20I Squad Against Pakistan