Afridi named World Cup captain - report

Shahid Afridi has reportedly been named captain of Pakistan's World Cup squad, according to Associated Press. The decision ends weeks of uncertainty over who will lead the side in the global tournament starting later this month.

Pakistan were the only side of the 14 participating teams that hadn't named their captain when the World Cup squads were announced in January, fuelling debate over whether Misbah-ul-Haq, the Test captain, could take over from limited-overs leader Afridi.

Afridi has been Pakistan's ODI captain over the last year but just before the New Zealand tour began, a number of key players and team management officials raised concerns with the board over his captaincy. The development placed the board in a quandary, between players and the captain, ultimately compelling them to delay the announcement of a leader.

Earlier this week, the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had travelled to New Zealand, where the team has just completed their first one-day series win in more than two years, to hold discussions with Afridi, senior players and management officials over who should lead the side.

Pakistan play the final match of their six-ODI series against New Zealand on Saturday in Auckland.