Pakistan one-day captain Azhar Ali has stepped down and the Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed as the new skipper.
Ahmed also leads Pakistan in Twenty20 internationals and will make his ODI captaincy debut against the West Indies in April.
The PCB said in a statement on Thursday that Ali recently met with board chairman Shaharyar Khan and informed him that he wished to relinquish the captaincy "because it was affecting his batting form."
Khan told Ali that his place in the team will not be affected.
Former Pakistani greats Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar have criticised Ali's captaincy after Pakistan lost the ODI series in Australia 4-1 last month.
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The PCB made Ali ODI captain soon after the World Cup in 2015, replacing Misbah-ul-Haq.
Pakistan slipped to No. 8 in the world rankings during Ali's captaincy, winning only five of 10 ODI series. Two of those wins came against Zimbabwe.
Overall, Pakistan lost 18 ODIs under Ali's captaincy and won 12 matches.
"Azhar was under a lot of pressure and the writing was on the wall," Akhtar told local television.
"He did the right thing to step down and we should endorse it."
