Mohammad Rizwan has been appointed as the new Pakistan ODI and T20I captain, replacing Babar Azam, who recently stepped down as white-ball captain. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also named Salam Ali Agha as the white-ball vice-captain.
During his press conference, Rizwan made a bold statement, saying that being captain didn’t make him ‘a king’.
Mohammad Rizwan’s bold statement after PCB announcement
“If I start considering myself a king as captain, then everything will fall apart. Rather, as a leader, I am here to serve the 15 men of the team. This is how it should be. Regarding achievements, Inshallah, we have the messages and support from everyone in our box, who are asking us only one thing: fight, fight, and fight. They keep sending us this message again and again, and we will try our best, Inshallah, to show the whole nation that there is no lack of fight in us,” he said.
“We have left the results to Allah, and whatever the outcome, we accept it. But in terms of fighting spirit, there will be no shortage—this is our guarantee.”
Rizwan’s statement could also be a dig towards Babar, who in the past has been accused of considering himself bigger than the Pakistan team. Rizwan’s appointment comes after Pakistan’s underwhelming performances and group stage exits from both the 2023 ODI World Cup and 2024 T20 World Cup.
The wicketkeeper-batter will begin his captaincy tenure in the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia, which consists of three ODIs and three T20Is.
In the past, Pakistan have been accused of groupism when it comes to team selection. Rizwan denied such claims, and said, “Look, as far as these rumours are concerned, they may have been heard from somewhere, but if I am part of a group, it’s the Pakistan team’s group—our whole group. Now that I am captain, for me, the most important thing is that all fifteen players of Pakistan are captains in their own way. My role as captain is to carry out tasks, attend presentations, and handle conferences. I’m doing these things, and, Inshallah, all of our Pakistan team members are also captains in their own right because, as you can see, everyone is leading in one way or another.”
