Mohammad Rizwan has been named the new captain of Pakistan’s white-ball team. He will begin his stint with the tour of Australia, starting November 4 in Melbourne.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed Rizwan’s appointment on Sunday (October 27). This decision follows the resignation of former skipper Babar Azam earlier this month.
In a latest video released by PCB, Rizwan acknowledged their past challenges in Australia but expressed confidence about the team’s chances this time around.
"Isme koi shaq nahi ki hume Australia mae difficulty hui hai, kyuki jab aap past ka result dekhengena toh result hume ye batata hai ki waha hume thoda trouble hua hai magar mere khayal se jo team waha jaa rahi hai quam humse umeed rakhe (There’s no doubt that we’ve faced difficulties in Australia because when you look at the past results, they show that we had some trouble there. But I believe the team going now will meet the nation’s expectations)," Rizwan said.
The wicketkeeper-batter also urged fans to support the team, highlighting their recent success in the Test series against England.
"Last series jab humne Australia mae khele thi toh aisa hi tha ki hum haar match jeetne waale thae, bilkul close jaa kr hum haare hai (In the last series we played in Australia, every match was almost ours to win, but we lost very closely)," he added.
"Humne kuch chizo ko notice ki hai aur waha jaa kr unpe kaam kare or usme se hum positive le. Inshallah, Australia ko Australia mae haraenge (We have noticed a few things and will work on them when we go there, taking positives from it. Inshallah, we will beat Australia in Australia)," he continued.
Rizwan had previously led Pakistan in two Test matches against New Zealand in 2020 when Babar Azam was injured. However, the Australia tour will be the first instance of him leading the limited-overs side.
The Australia tour, featuring three ODIs and T20Is each, will also see the return of Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi in the Pakistan team after being dropped from the last two Tests against England.
