New Delhi: Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan on Sunday was named as the new white-ball captain for the Australia tour next month. He will take over the reigns from Babar Azam after the latter resigned from the role earlier this month after being reappointed in April.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced the squad for the upcoming Australia tour, where the national team is scheduled to play three One-Day Internationals followed by three T20 Internationals. The squad also sees the return of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah after the trio was rested for the last two Test matches against England.
This will be the first time Rizwan will be in charge of the national duties. He has led Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL – Pakistan’s T20 franchise competition) across four seasons. After he was appointed Multan Sultans’ captain in 2021, he led them to the title in the first season itself. The team reached in the PSL finals in the following three seasons only to finish as runners-up.
Committed to giving my absolute best: Mohammad Rizwan
Rizwan has captained in 48 PSL matches in four seasons, having won 32 matches and lost 16 to hold a win percentage of 66.66. Earlier in the day, the PCB announced the squad for Australia and Zimbabwe series but the captain wasn’t announced initially. Later in the day, the board issued a release wherein they named Rizwan as Babar’s successor.
“I am committed to giving my absolute best in this role and look forward to working closely with the selectors, coaches and my immensely talented teammates. Together, we aim to meet and exceed the expectations of our fans and supporter,” Rizwan was quoted as saying in a PCB media release.
All-rounder Salman Ali Agha, who has played 21 ODI matches for Pakistan, was named Rizwan’s deputy in both white-ball formats, though he is yet to make his debut in T20Is. Salman will lead Pakistan in the three T20Is against Zimbabwe in December in the absence of Rizwan.
Pakistan squads for Australia and Zimbabwe tours
Pakistan ODI Squad vs Australia: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Pakistan T20I Squad vs Australia: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan
Pakistan ODI Squad vs Zimbabwe: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir
Pakistan T20I Squad vs Zimbabwe: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan
Mohammad Rizwan will take over Pakistan men’s team’s white-ball captaincy from Babar Azam. The wicketkeeper-batter will start his new role with his first assignment being the Australia tour next month, where Pakistan will play three ODIs and as many T20Is. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
