My target is to improve Pakistan's Test ranking: Azhar Ali'.

LAHORE -- Pakistan's newly appointed Test captain Azhar Ali said on Friday that his specific mandate was to improve the team's international ranking and blend it into a winning combination by displaying fearless cricket. 'There are a lot of challenges our team is facing at the moment and my main target is to improve the team's Test ranking which is number seven at the moment, ' he said during a press conference. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday removed Sarfaraz Ahmed as Test and T20I captain and appointed Ali and Babar Azam as captains. Speaking about his appointment, Ali said it was a big honour for him to be handed this responsibility by the PCB.

'The board has reposed confidence in me by assigning me the job of Test team captain and I will take every measure to lift the team's performance and perform to a higher level to be an inspiration for the fellow colleagues, ' the batsman said. 'The coming tour of Australia in which we will be playing two Test matches will have a lot of challenges and it is going to be the first Test of my captaincy and I look forward to this series with confidence and hope that we will be able to play good quality cricket in Australia, " said Ali. He continued, 'I had prepared myself mentally to accept captaincy as I consulted my seniors in the game and my family members and then decided to accept this great opportunity. ' Ali said as a captain he will strive to make Pakistan a Test team who would have the potential of serving the longest format of the game for quite a long time.

Praising the leadership of the outgoing captain, Sarfaraz, Ali paid rich...