PCB strip Sarfaraz Ahmed of captaincy from Tests and T20Is

Pakistan Cricket Board has forced Sarfaraz Ahmed to step down from the position of the captain of the Pakistan cricket team in Tests and T20Is after a poor performance against a seemingly inexperienced Sri Lankan side at home. This has come as a shock to many as there does not seem to be a leader present in the Pakistan camp that is ready to take over the reins from Sarfaraz. After questions were raised at the team management and the captain's decisions at crucial points in the series, the board ran out of patience and pulled the trigger on the 29-year-old who looked terribly out of form.

Sarfaraz has been asked by the PCB to perform at the domestic level to stand a chance of making a comeback in the national setup. Test opener Azhar Ali has been named Pakistan's Test captain while wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan will be the vice-captain and Sarfaraz's replacement as the keeper in the side. 24-year-old Babar Azam has been named as the captain of the T20 side that will tour Australia.

Although Pakistan's Head Coach and Chief Selector Misbah-ul-Haq seemed to back Sarfaraz Ahmed in his post-match press conferences, sources have reported that he had made it clear to the Board and to the PCB chief executive Wasim Khan that he was unhappy with Sarfaraz's uninspiring and unimpressive captaincy and wanted to make sure that he no longer continues as Pakistan's captain.