Under-fire Azhar Ali retained as Pak ODI skipper against Windies

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has once again put in faith in Azhar Ali's leadership as he has been retained as the ODI skipper for the three-match series against West Indies, starting on September 30 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE.

Azhar's captaincy came under scrutiny following his side's thrashing 1-4 ODI series defeat against England, with rumours suggesting that the 31-year-old would either resign or would be removed as the leader in the 50-over format.

Earlier, PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan had also said that they would discuss Azhar's position as the captain of the ODI side once the team returns back home.

The PCB official, however, confirmed that nothing is going to change and Azhar would continue to lead the team against the Caribbean side, the Express Tribune reported.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Hafeez, who is still struggling with his fitness, has been dropped from the 22-member preliminary list handed to the PCB by former captain Inzamamul Haq-led selection committee.

Test opener Sami Aslam and Umar Gul have also failed to make it to the list, following their poor performance against England in the ODI series while Umar Akmal and young left-arm fast-bowler Rumman Raees have been included in the list against West Indies.

In contrast, fast-bowler Mohammad Irfan, who bowled just five overs after replacing Hafeez in England tour, has been named in the 22-man squad.

Besides ODI, Pakistan will also play three T20Is and three-match Test series against West Indies.