Sarfraz Ahmed to captain Pakistan in World Cup, confirms PCB

"I am happy to confirm that Sarfraz will remain Pakistan captain till the World Cup. I've been saying this from day one: Sarfraz is our captain and he will remain our captain until any further decision," the PCB chairman was quoted as saying by Geo News.

"I was keen to speak with [Sarfraz] on the team’s recent performances as part of the normal review and appraisal process, and, more importantly, about his own future plans as we all know he has undergone some tough times as a professional cricketer in the past few weeks," he said.

"Sarfraz has reiterated his commitment to the Pakistan cricket team as well as his availability and enthusiasm to captain the team at the World Cup,” Mani was quoted as saying by the news channel.

He said the skipper's contributions to Pakistani cricket could not be overlooked.

Under his leadership, Pakistan had won the ICC Champions Trophy title in 2017.

“I am confident he will continue the good work with Mickey Arthur and Inzamam-ul-Haq so that the team is in the best possible shape and form to produce strong performances at the World Cup,” Mani said. 

The Pakistani skipper, however, recently landed himself in controversy and that led to his ban for four international matches by the International Cricket Council for breaching its anti-racism code during the South Africa tour.

Following the ban, Sarfraz was sent home from South Africa mid-way.

Senior cricketer Shoaib Malik is captaining the team on the tour in his absence.

The World Cup will be held this year in England and Wales from May 30 to July 14.

Image Credit: PCB Twitter page