After making some drastic changes during the Pakistan vs England Test series, the Pakistan cricket team is set to undergo more changes as Mohammad Rizwan takes over as the new captain of the white-ball team. In the recently concluded series against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shocked everyone by deciding to drop Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam, and Naseem Shah. However, the new players performed beyond expectations, leading Pakistan to a 2-1 series win. The latest development is Mohammad Rizwan’s appointment as ODI and T20I captain.
Mohammad Rizwan’s controversial statement
After becoming the captain of the white-ball team, Rizwan said that becoming a captain doesn’t make him a king.
“If I start considering myself a king as captain, then everything will fall apart”, Rizwan said
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 added.
“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.”
Also Read: Mohammad Rizwan Becomes Pakistan’s captain
Rizwan’s bold statement may be a subtle dig at former captain Babar Azam, who is often hailed as the “King” by Pakistan cricket fans. Additionally, there have been suggestions that Babar sometimes considered himself untouchable, perhaps thinking himself bigger than the team.
Though Pakistan won the home Test series against England, their performance in white-ball cricket requires significant improvement. The 1992 World Champions failed to advance past the group stage in both the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20I World Cup. There have also been accusations that the team lacked unity and that some players engaged in groupism.
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.”
The 32-year-old wicket-keeper will kick-off his captaincy duties with the tour of Australia where Pakistan will be playing three ODIs and three T20Is.
