Azhar Ali believes 'determined' Pak can lift themselves from ODI slump

Pakistan ODI skipper Azhar Ali has said he is optimistic that his side could rise again and bring themselves back on track after they dropped to the ninth spot in the latest one-day international rankings.

Pakistan slumped to the ninth spot after suffering a 0-3 defeat at the hands of Bangladesh in April last year, but managed to reach at the eighth place before being knocked back again to the ninth.

Admitting that the latest ranking is 'worrying', the 31-year-old said that his team is quite determined to beat the top teams in order to rise in the rankings, the Express Tribune reported.

Pakistan could face a qualifying round for the 2019 World Cup for the first time ever if they would not be able to pull themselves out of the slump by next year.

Describing the upcoming schedule as 'challenging', Azhar called on Pakistan to remain at their absolute best while playing against the higher-ranked teams.

Azhar, however, believes that the newly-appointed selection committee and a new coach would play a major role in lifting the team's performance.

Pakistan will play five-match ODI series against England in August followed by two matches in Ireland and five matches against West Indies. They will also tour Australia for a six-match ODI series early next year.