Pakistan cricket has been dealt a major blow as former captain Azhar Ali has reportedly resigned from all his key roles in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) amid the home T20 tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
Azhar Ali joined the Pakistan selection committee in October 2024, working alongside former ICC umpire Aleem Dar, former fast bowler Aaqib Javed and Asad Shafiq.
He immediately grabbed headlines by taking tough decisions and removing big names like Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah from the last two Tests of the series against England.
Azhar Ali shocks Pakistan cricket by leaving all PCB roles
The gamble paid off, as Pakistan turned things around and won the Test series 2–1 on home soil. But now, in a surprise development, Azhar has reportedly resigned from his PCB responsibilities.
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According to Geo News report, Azhar Ali on Tuesday (November 18) resigned from the post of National Men’s Selection Committee member and Youth Development Chief. His departure comes at a time when the board is focusing heavily on rebuilding its long-term player pathway.
Although the PCB has not issued any official statement, questions have been raised over the timing of Azhar’s exit. Many believe Azhar’s decision is linked to the recent rise of former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed within the PCB.
Sarfaraz has been handed big responsibilities, taking charge of both the Pakistan Shaheens and the Under-19 setup and the move has created a significant rift within the board.
Azhar Ali’s career in statistics
Notably, Azhar was one of the most successful and respected figures in Test cricket. From 2010 to 2022, he was one of the most reliable batsmen of the team, playing 97 Tests and 53 ODIs. Azhar also led the team in nine Tests and 31 ODIs and played a key role in their ICC Champions Trophy victory in 2017.
With 7,097 Test runs at an average of 42.49, Azhar is Pakistan’s fifth-highest run-scorer, behind only Younis Khan, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf. He scored 19 centuries and 34 half-centuries and scored his first Test half-century just two matches after making his debut at Lord’s in 2010.
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pakistan vs zimbabwe match highlights
Meanwhile, a brilliant all-round performance from Mohammad Nawaz helped the Men in Green get off to a great start to the T20I tri-series with a thrilling five-wicket win over Zimbabwe.
The hosts faced a tough challenge but Nawaz maintained his composure and smashed a quickfire 21 off just 12 balls to take the Men in Green home with four balls to spare in Rawalpindi.
The innings got off to a bad start with Babar Azam out for a duck, but Fakhar Zaman’s 44 off 32 balls steadied the ship.
Usman Khan played a solid inning of 37 not out in 28 balls to maintain the chase. Earlier, the hosts chose to bowl first and Zimbabwe made a strong start by scoring 72 runs without loss.
But Zimbabwe were dramatically reduced to 128 for 8 before captain Sikandar Raza saved the innings with an unbeaten 34. Brian Bennett was the top scorer with 49 runs in 36 balls.
Nawaz took two important wickets, while Shaheen Afridi, Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed and Salman Mirza took one wicket each. Zimbabwe finished with 147 runs, but it was not enough against the hosts.
