Pak's new 'unheralded' ODI captain Azhar Ali hopes all players will support him

Pakistan's new ODI team captain Azhar Ali has acknowledged that he has a hard act to follow and is hoping that all the players would support him as he takes charge of the squad.

Despite the fact that Ali had not made the ODI squad in more than two years, Pakistan's cricket chiefs named the batsman as the national side's new one-day team captain on Monday. He would replace Misbah-ul Haq, who retired from one-day cricket following Pakistan's World Cup quarterfinal exit at the hands of eventual champions Australia.

Ali, who has starred in just 14 ODIs with the most recent being in January 2013, said that it's a huge responsibility and he hopes that all players would support him, Sport24 reported.

The right-handed batsman added that he salutes Misbah for the way he served and the way he played, adding that the former skipper's services are unforgettable.

Ali acknowledged that it is a very difficult task to replace Misbah and insisted that his departure would create a huge gap especially in one-day cricket.

The right-handed batsman was not even included in the final 15-man World Cup squad, but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan insisted that he had proved himself in the domestic Pentangular Cup.