This is part of Babar Azam’s gradual development as a future captain, states Ehsaan Mani

Having risen through the ranks to become arguably Pakistan’s best batsman of the present generation and drawing comparisons with the likes of Kohli and Root, Babar Azam has just been promoted to vice-captain of the Pakistan cricket team in the white ball formats. Serving as a deputy to Sarfaraz Ahmed on whom several questions have been raised, PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani confirmed the plan is for Azam to ultimately take over the reigns.

“This is part of Babar’s gradual development as a future captain and in line with our strategy of introducing a succession plan across the board so that there are no gaps,” Mani said in a statement, reported Sportstar.

Meanwhile, the series against Sri Lanka is still in doubt after reports of a possible terror act emerged ahead of the first ODI on Karachi on the 27th of September. The Lions are expected to spend a fortnight in the country to play three ODIs and T20s, with the last match scheduled for October the ninth.

“Inshallah (God willing) they will come, we should hope for the best. The Pakistan Cricket Board is trying its best and we should all pray that international cricket should come back to Pakistan,” Sarfaraz said on Friday.

This will be the first proper international tour of Pakistan in nearly a decade after terrorist attacks on Sri Lanka’s team bus in 2009 had left a long lasting impact on the global community. The PCB has been trying continuously to convince countries to send their teams, with only West Indies and Zimbabwe having accepted the invitations over the past few years.

“The way PCB has worked over the last 10 years, it’s a tremendous effort,” Ahmed added.