Pakistan’s newly appointed white-ball skipper Mohammad Rizwan on Sunday said that he is here to “serve the 15 men” of the team and not to act like a “king”. Ahead of Pakistan’s limited-overs tours of Australia and Zimbabwe next month, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced star wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan as their new skipper with Salman Ali Agha as vice-captain. Rizwan has replaced Babar Azam. Speaking at the press conference in Lahore, Rizwan said that his side will try their best to show that “there’s no lack of fight” in the team.
“If I start considering myself a king as captain, then everything will fall apart. Rather, as a leader, I am here to serve the 15 men of the team. This is how it should be. Regarding achievements, we have messages and support from everyone in our box, who are asking us only one thing: fight, fight, and fight. They keep sending us this message again and again, and we will try our best, to show the whole nation that there is no lack of fight in us,” Rizwan said.
Rizwan further talked about his responsibilities as the skipper of the side and said that his role would be to carry out tasks, attend presentations, and handle conferences.
“Look, as far as these rumours are concerned, they may have been heard from somewhere, but if I am part of a group, it’s the Pakistan team’s group–our whole group. Now that I am captain, for me, the most important thing is that all fifteen players of Pakistan are captains in their own way. My role as captain is to carry out tasks, attend presentations, and handle conferences. I’m doing these things, and, all of our Pakistan team members are also captains in their own right because, as you can see, everyone is leading in one way or another,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan announced 15-member squads for white-ball series tours to Australia and Zimbabwe starting from November 4 onwards, with star batter Babar Azam being rested from the Zimbabwe tour.
Mohammad Rizwan will be available for both Australia matches and the Zimbabwe ODIs but will not participate in the T20Is.
Pakistan will also have three debutants in their midst – Kamran Ghulam, Omair Bin Yousuf and Sufyan Moqim, while Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Haseebullah, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Saim Ayub have joined the ODI squad for the first time.
ODI squad for Australia: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
T20I squad for Australia: Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan.
ODI squad for Zimbabwe: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir.
T20I squad for Zimbabwe: Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (WK), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan.
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