KARACHI: Mohammad Rizwan, the newly appointed captain of the Pakistan One-Day International and T20I, is unperturbed by the resignation of head coach Gary Kirsten as the team prepares for its tour of Australia.
On Monday, Kirsten resigned as the white-ball head coach of the national team in light of reports that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) did not have confidence in the South African regarding the selection of players for the Australia tour and the subsequent series against Zimbabwe. Since Kirsten left, there have been rumors about who will take his place. Former players like Aaqib Javed and Saqlain Mushtaq are said to be leading the race.
However, Rizwan would not care who takes Kirsten’s place.
He told the media on Tuesday at a local hotel that “when you wear Pakistan’s shirt or represent Pakistan, you combine with whoever is with you, regardless of the time or situation, and work towards Pakistan’s success.” This was just hours before the team left for Melbourne, where Pakistan will play their first of three ODIs against Australia on November 4.
“We can express our opinions about any coach or player in order to bring out the best in them. We want to make decisions that are good for Pakistani cricket.
Pakistan will be without Fakhar Zaman, who has been left out of the squads for Australia and Zimbabwe as well as from the recently announced central contracts list. Despite the fact that Pakistan has selected a number of young players who have demonstrated their mettle in the domestic cricket circuit over the course of the past few years, Fakhar Zaman will not be available for selection.
The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) move has been scrutinized with Fakhar viewed as the nation’s just effect player — who fell into the board’s terrible books subsequent to posting via virtual entertainment against its choice arrangements and taking on one of its chiefs in an interior gathering.
Rizwan hoped that Fakhar’s issues would soon be resolved.
The 32-year-old remarked, “There’s no doubt that Fakhar Zaman is an impactful player for Pakistan because Fakhar, wherever he is, can alone change the course of the game.” However, selection decisions are not within our control; those belong to the selection committee and management.”
Pakistan will play Australia in the second and third matches of their ODI series on Nov. 8 and 10 in Adelaide and Perth, respectively, before playing three T20Is.
Rizwan stated, “… we’ve consulted well with the resources at our disposal, and the team was formed thoughtfully.” We have done a good job of our roles. The players must exert themselves for the remainder.
