Pakistan’s ace batsman and T20 captain Babar Azam has been given the ODI captaincy. Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s selector and the head coach, said on Wednesday that this decision has been taken considering the 2023 World Cup so that the Babar can be polished in three years for the biggest cricketing event. Earlier, wicket-keeper Sarfaraz Ahmed was heading the ODI side, but owing to his poor performance with the bat, he was sacked from the captaincy. “We have kept in mind who can serve us in the long run. We have kept the 2023 World Cup in mind while picking Babar as ODI captain. He is the captain of the T20 side, he is a top-class performer and this is the right time to groom him,” Misbah said. “He is taking the challenge head on. Since he became our T20 captain his Test performance has also improved. So why not, if he can take responsibility,” he added