The appointment means the 25-year-old is Pakistan’s white ball skipper, given he already leads the T20 side, and caps a remarkable rise, having debuted in 2015.
Azam, who averages just over 54 across 75 ODIs for his country, has been named by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as skipper for the 2020-21 season.
“I want to congratulate Azhar Ali (Test captain) and Babar Azam for getting captaincy extensions,” chief selector and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq said.
“This is absolutely the right decision as they also require certainty and clarity on their future roles.
“I am sure they will now start looking to the future and start planning so that they can build sides that can perform at the expected levels.”
The right-handed batsman is currently the top batsman in international T20s according to the ICC Rankings, while he’s third in ODIs and fifth in Test cricket.
Azam has amassed 3,359 runs at ODI level for Pakistan, including 11 centuries and 15 half-centuries, in 74 matches.
He averages 50.72 at T20I level, including 13 half-centuries in 38 matches, while he’s also scored 1,850 runs from 26 Tests, averaging 45.12.
Azam now looms as the heir apparent to Azhar Ali as Pakistan’s future Test captain.