Sarfaraz Ahmed sacked as Pakistan captain: Details here

Following the development, Sarfaraz said that he was honored to have led Pakistan at the highest level, as he thanked his colleagues, coaches, and selectors, who helped him in his journey to date.

"My good wishes are with Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, and the Pakistan cricket team, and I hope they will continue to grow stronger and stronger," he added.

The board stated in its release that while Azhar has been Pakistan's mainstay batsman since making his debut, his previous outing against Australia, Down Under, was a fruitful one.

Also, he has an amazing Test aggregate against Australia, of 938 runs in nine Tests, making him the favorite for the Test captaincy.

Against Sri Lanka, he has aggregated 1,156 runs in 14 Tests.

Reacting to this, Azhar said that it was an absolute honor for him to lead Pakistan in the five-day format of the game. He is excited to take over.

"Sarfaraz Ahmed has done an excellent job, and I now look forward to inspiring those players in our endeavors to collectively achieve our World Test Championship objectives and beyond," said Azhar, as reported by ICC.

Azhar stated that asides looking to win, he would also allow the players to grow in stature so that Pakistan can resume their journey to the top.

"I have always played my cricket the hard way, but in a fair manner, and will ensure I continue to uphold the spirit of cricket and enhance the image of the team and the country," he concluded.