Pakistan: Cricket Board (PCB) named wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan captain of the white-ball cricket team and batting all-rounder Agha Salman vice captain.
The decision was made after former captain Babar Azam announced on the X platform on October 2 that he was quitting his position as Pakistan’s One-Day International and Twenty20 International captain because he wanted to concentrate on his playing role.
Following Azam’s resignation from the position, the national selection committee was tasked with selecting the next white-ball captain.
Mohsin Naqvi, chairman of the PCB, made the announcement that Rizwan and Salman will captain and vice captain the cricket team for the one-day international and T20 international, respectively, while he was speaking to the media in Lahore.
The roster for the upcoming matches against Zimbabwe and Australia had been announced earlier in the day by the cricket board.
Rizwan, Pakistan’s captain, was not included in the T20I lineup against Zimbabwe, according to the team.
Naqvi stated, “Our selection committee has worked hard.” They went through each case, and today they released the final list.
Additionally, the committee met on Saturday night to finalize the squads for the upcoming tours of Zimbabwe and Australia, according to the chairman.
After that, Naqvi addressed Azam and referred to him as an “asset” for Pakistan.
The chairman stated, “Players like this only emerge after a long time.” He contacted me about quitting his position as captain, but no one from the PCB got in touch with him.
According to Naqvi, “he took advice from his coaches and then told me that he did want to continue as captain.” We all want him to regain his form, and he wants to concentrate on his game.
The chairman went on to say that the PCB began internal discussions with the five mentors and members of the selection committee after Azam gave up his captaincy.
He stated, “There was a nearly unanimous opinion that Salman should be vice-captain and Rizwan should be captain after Babar.” They had already spoken with selectors, and I also met Rizwan yesterday.
Naqvi stated, “I wish them the best and pray for their success,” adding that the board must “promote young talent and respect domestic cricket.” He said that the selection committee “worked non-stop for two days at a time” during the test series against England, which he appreciated.
Naqvi stated, “No doubt the team performed, but this selection committee is also behind these victories; it’s important to appreciate them,” and that the committee, captain, and coach will “make a good combination and play these upcoming series.”
Aqib Javed, a member of the selection committee, stated, “There is no such formula (for winning)… we should use our home advantage.” He stated that the team engages in “different cricket,” regardless of whether they are playing red-ball or white-ball. White-ball cricket has a bright future, too,” he added.
Rizwan expressed that during the new Bosses Cup, there was a recognizable contrast among senior and youthful players. ” As of my arrival, the selectors, team management, and mentors are all on the same page regarding the development of our young talent, which is the best thing.
The newly appointed skipper stated, “It is our biggest priority to bring our young talent to the international level.”
“Poor fitness”: When asked about the contract of batting champion Fakhar Zaman, Naqvi said that a post on X was “definitely” a problem, but that he didn’t get a central contract because he wasn’t fit enough.
Following a social media post that criticized the decision to drop Babar from the test series against England, Fakhar received a show-cause notice from the PCB.
The chairman stated, “Absolutely, Fakhar Zaman’s tweet was an issue, but more importantly, he did not pass his fitness test.” Fakhar spoke very well in the connection camp, and based on what he said, we have also fixed things in our international department.
According to Naqvi, players cannot criticize the selection committee’s decisions. He went on to say that Fakhar must pass his fitness test once he gets the show-cause notice.
