It’s official, Shoaib Malik is the new captain of Pakistan cricket team. He has taken over in such a tough situation when the whole team is in disarray both on and off the field. After a dismal performance in World Cup, Inzamam ul Haq resigned from the captaincy and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) offered vice captain Younis Khan captaincy reign but he declined saying that he wants more right as a captain.

According to PCB chairperson Dr Nasim Asraf,

Malik has been appointed as captain with the future of Pakistan cricket in mind. We are hopeful Malik will handle this challenge well.

The 25-year-old all rounder, who has so far played in 18 Tests and 137 one-day internationals, has been given the responsibility until the end of the year both in Test and one-day matches. This is quite a surprise because Malik has not yet cement a place in the Pakistan test squad. His first captaincy assignment will be the three match one-day series against Sri Lanka next month.

Mail & Guardian