Pakistan star cricketer Azhar Ali is all set to take over the reins of Pakistan's Test side from Sarfaraz Ahmed, after the former skipper was stripped off his captaincy duties by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), following national squad's dismal performance against Sri Lanka and during World Cup 2019.
After the humiliating T20I home series whitewash to Sri Lanka, Pakistan is scheduled to tour Australia for three T20Is and two Tests.
Azhar, who will be leading the national side into its opening stint in the World Test Championship, feels "there could be no greater honour".
"There could be no greater honour," Azhar said. "This is an opportunity for me to leave a legacy. The amount of cricket I have played for Pakistan, the next four-five years are very important for me both as a player and a captain. The Test championship is going to start and the Australia tour too; it's going to be tough but it's also an opportunity. Right now, we are No.7 in the (Test) rankings, so we have a fair distance to travel. There are many challenges, but it's also a great opportunity to play fearless, exciting cricket and get the desired results."
Pakistan's leading Tests batsman, Azhar, stressed on the need to build a culture within the team.
"We need to build a team culture wherein we make the right decisions under pressure and stay calm. We need to take positive options and empower players to take their own decisions when they're in those situations. This is something that I've learned from my own cricket, and I'll try to do better."
"I've played a lot of cricket with Misbah and under him too, so we have an understanding that has been prevalent for many years. Second, the chairman and Misbahbhaihave given me the clear that I have provide most inputs. What's easy in this is that earlier if you had to ask the selectors for something, you and the head coach had to decide first and then if the selectors didn't agree, then you would struggle. But now if we make the decision then it's as good as done given that our chief selector is our head coach as well."
"Our track record in Australia isn't great. But I see this as a great opportunity to play fearless, positive cricket. You can't beat Australia without playing positive cricket. So my message to the players will be to play aggressive cricket. It's not easy to beat Australia in Australia, but it's a chance for me to transfer my experience to the younger players and lead by example to leave a legacy that will always be remembered. I will ensure that the fear of loss or failure will not be felt by any of my players."