Rizwan downplayed Pakistan's T20 World Cup debacle.
Pakistan cricket team was eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2026 in the Super 8 stage. The Men in Green barely escaped an embarrassing defeat in a Group A clash against the Netherlands before losing to India and England.
Days after their dismal campaign ended, it was reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has planned to impose a hefty fine on the players.
However, Pakistan's veteran wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan downplayed the team's T20 World Cup debacle, saying they were knocked out of the tournament on the basis of Net Run Rate (NRR).
During a nets session, Rizwan interacted with a reporter, who asked him about Pakistan's T20 World Cup campaign. When the question of each Pakistani player being slapped a PKR 50 lakh penalty by the board came up, Rizwan said that even journalists should bear the brunt for portraying players in a certain way.
"The players have been fined, but journalists should be fined too," Rizwan said. "You people should also pay the penalty - your situation is no different."
"The world will see players the way you portray them," he added, suggesting that the perception of players largely depends on how the media presents them.
"At the same time, there is no doubt that you people also defend the team a lot," Rizwan went on to acknowledge.
According to Rizwan, there was no embarrassment in Pakistan's T20 World Cup ouster in the Super 8 phase.
"Pakistan went out of the event on net run rate, not because of losing outright," he said, before adding even a team like Australia were beaten by Zimbabwe.
After losing to England in the Super 8s, Pakistan’s left their fate hanging as far as the contention for semifinals was concerned.
Although England’s win over New Zealand gave them hope, they failed to make it count against co-hosts Sri Lanka. The 2009 champions won the match but couldn’t overtake New Zealand on NRR to enter the semis.
Reflecting on the Sri Lanka match, Rizwan said: "It doesn't matter. In the end, we won that match, that's what counts."
When the reporter highlighted how well India performed against England in the semi-final, scoring over 250 runs, Rizwan replied: "Sorry, I don't watch their matches."