LAHORE: Prolific batsman Babar Azam has been appointed as the 30th captain of the Pakistan Test team, in place of twice tested Azhar Ali, and his first assignment will be to lead the team on the tough forthcoming tour of New Zealand.

`Babar Azam has been appointed as Pakistan Test captain, which now makes him the captain across all three formats. His first assignment will be to captain Pakistan in the ICC World Test Championship fixtures against New Zealand, which will be pl aye d in Mount Maunganui and Christchurch from 26-30 December and 3-7 January, respectively,` the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Tuesday.

Azhar was first appointed as captain in 2016 but af ter leading in one-off Test against New Zealand, which Pakistan lost, he was replaced by then PCB chairman Shaharyar M Khan and wicket-keeper batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed was appointed captain.

Azhar was again named captain of the Test team in 2019, on the recommendation of Head Coach-cum Chief Selector Misbah-ulHaq in place of Sarfaraz.

During this one year period, Azhar led Pakistan in eight Test matches, los-ing three in Australia and one in England while winning the two Tests at home one each against Sri L anka and Bangladesh respectively. The other three which include two Tests against England and one against Sri L anka, ended in draw.

Babar, who first got the charge of the T20 team, has led Pakistan in 10 matches with five wins, three losses and two remaining undecided. As One-day captain so f ar, he has led Pakistan in only one series against Zimbabwe in Pakistan, winning the three matches series 2-1.

`PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani confirmed Babar`s appointment following a meeting with Azhar Ali on Tuesday evening in which he also thanked Azhar for his contributions as Test captain. The PCB Chairman subsequently spoke with Babar Azam following his side`s eight wickets in the third T20I against Zimbabwe and congratulated him on his appointment,` the press release stated.

`I want to thank Azhar Ali for stepping up last year by captaining the side in what was a historic first home Test series in over a decade. I believe Azhar still has a lot of cricket left in him and Pakistan cricket can continue to make the best use of his experience and knowledge as a specialist top-order batsman moving forward.

`Babar Azam was identified at a very young age as a future leader and as part of his progression and development, he was appointed white-ball captain last year.With his consistent performance and leadership skills, he has demonstrated that he is ready to take on the additional responsibilities of a captain.

As we are looking into the future,itis appropriate that we appoint him the captain now so that he continues to grow stronger with every match. I wish Babar all the best and remain optimistic that he will help Pakistan cricket make an upward movement across all formats not only through his performance but also with his positive attitude and result-oriented approach,` stated Ehsan Mani.

Babar Azam himself was delighted at the his appointment as Test skipper.: `I feel truly honoured to have been appointed Test captain and join some of the most iconic players who have captained Pakistan in this purist format of the game. I can now say with conviction that dreams can come true only if you chase them with honesty, dedication and commitment,` said Babar according to a PCB press release.

`I am ready and prepared to take up the additional responsibility and the fact which gives me addidonalconñdence thatIcan do the job is the experience that is available to me in the changing room in the shape of the players and support staff.

`I want to thank Azhar Ali for the way he captained the team in the last season, which was a difficult one, but I know that he will leave no stone unturned in giving his very best to the team.

concluded Babar.