Shoaib Malik will captain Pakistan in the one-off Twenty20 international against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have turned to Malik after regular T20 skipper Shahid Afridi was banned for two matches for biting the ball during the fifth one-day international.
Malik was sacked as national captain in January 2009 after a largely unsuccessful year-and-a-half in charge but, with Test skipper Mohammad Yousuf sidelined by a knee injury and his predecessor Younus Khan retired from T20 internationals, the PCB had few alternatives.
Pakistan have yet to win during their tour of Australia, losing 3-0 in the Tests and 5-0 in the one-day internationals, prompting chief selector Qasim Iqbal to quit on Sunday.
Investigation
Meanwhile, the PCB have already launched an inquiry into the team's performances in Australia.
A committee has been formed to investigate, headed by chief operating officer Wasim Bari and including former Test player Haroon Rasheed and legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi.
"Board chairman Ejaz Butt has told us to carry out a proper inquiry into what went wrong in Australia," Rizvi told Reuters.
"We will be talking to each player and team official independently besides other stake holders during course of the inquiry."
