Sarfraz Ahmed appointed captain of Pakistan T20 team, gets Shahid Afridi’s backing

Sarfraz Ahmed will succeed Shahid Afridi who stepped down as the skipper of the side after a dismal performance in World T20.

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Sarfraz Ahmed was appointed Vice Captain of ODI and T20 teams last year. (Source: AP)

The Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed as national Twenty20 captain to replace Shahid Afridi. (STATS || POINTS TABLE || FIXTURES)

Afridi quit as captain after Pakistan lost three of its four group matches at the World Twenty20 tournament in India, but said he wanted to continue playing the shortest format of international cricket.

READ: Waqar Younis resigns as Pakistan cricket team head coach

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The PCB says that chairman Shaharyar Khan spoke to Ahmed on Tuesday and conveyed to him that he was “our natural choice for this position.”

Ahmed led Quetta Gladiators in Pakistan’s first ever professional domestic Twenty20 league before losing to the Misbah-ul-Haq-led Islamabad United in the final.

READ: Shahid Afridi not to retire, steps down as captain of Pakistan

Ahmed played in all the four World Twenty20 matches, but batted lower down the order throughout the tournament despite having a good strike rate of 120.24.

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Later on, Afridi agreed with PCB’s decision of naming Sarfraz as captain.

Good decision to see @SarfarazA_54 leading PAK T-20 he is energetic, passionate and a fighter!

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) April 5, 2016

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