Mohammad Rizwan has been appointed as the new captain of Pakistan for their upcoming white-ball tours of Australia and Zimbabwe. The announcement was made by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday. This decision follows the resignation of former captain Babar Azam earlier this month.
Rizwan expressed optimism about the team’s chances to win in Australia, especially after their recent Test series victory against England.
Addressing fans, Rizwan acknowledged their past challenges in Australia but expressed optimism about the future.
In a latest video released by PCB, Rizwan said “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.)
WATCH: Mohammad Rizwan promises to conquer Aussies in their backyard as new white-ball captain
Rizwan 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.” he added. (In the last series we played in Australia, every match was almost ours to win, but we lost very closely)
“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.) Rizwan continued.
Rizwan, aged 32, had previously led the Pakistan team in two Test matches against New Zealand in 2020 when Azam was injured. However, this will mark his first time leading the team in limited-overs matches.
Joining Rizwan in the squad are Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who were both included after being dropped from the last two Tests against England. Pakistan recently clinched the Test series against England with a 2-0 victory on Saturday.
