Malik appointed as captain

Shoaib Malik has been given the job of captaining Pakistan, according to Pakistani website The Nation.

High-ranking PCB officials have met to discuss the next captain, and it seems they have agreed on 25 year-old all rounder Malik. A formal announcement has not yet been made, but is expected some time tomorrow.

Malik has been an established member of the ODI side for some time, and will now take a regular place in the Test side, possibly opening the batting. The appointment of Malik confirms suspicions that the PCB were leaning towards a young captain, with another possibility, Salman Butt, ruled out due to not being established enough in the side.

Various names have been thrown about since the obvious choice Younis Khan declined the PCB’s offer. These include Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq, who both stated they would like the role, but it seems the PCB preferred the younger option of Malik, who also has domestic captaincy experience.

His captaincy has been the subject of controversy however, after he conceded a domestic Twenty20 game. He claimed this was done in protest against another team’s slow over rate.