Pakistan’s white-ball captain, Mohammad Rizwan, has addressed the media on Monday, reflecting on the team’s recent performance against Australia and their preparations for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Speaking about the 3-0 whitewash by the Aussies, Rizwan candidly discussed the challenges faced and the lessons learned.
"We know some of our batters are facing issues, but we still have time in T20s to improve," Rizwan said.
"In the One-Day series, our openers and bowlers performed well. Babar Azam’s touch was visibly different from today’s performance," he added.
In the ODI series, the wicketkeeper batter acknowledged the consistent contributions from the openers and bowlers, particularly singling out Babar Azam for his standout performance.
"Babar Azam’s touch was visibly different from today’s performance," he noted.
On the bowling front, the 32-year-old heaped praise on pacers Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi for their mentorship of younger bowlers.
"Haris Rauf is being praised not only by me but also by the Australians. He will do well in the future," he said.
However, Rizwan did not shy away from addressing concerns with the middle-order batting.
"We don't have enough experienced middle-order batters like Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, and Imad Wasim," he noted.
The right-hand batter also touched on his decision to sit out the third T20 against Australia.
“As a captain, you make the first sacrifice. I discussed this with the management and players. We’re testing future stars, so I thought I should be the one to step aside."
Praising Haseebullah’s exceptional fielding in the third T20 and commenting on the Sydney pitch, Rizwan said, "It felt like we were playing a Test match," he remarked, adding that even Australian players had noted the same. Despite the challenges, he remained optimistic, saying the team was doing everything it could to rise above the difficulties and perform well.
Rizwan expressed admiration for red-ball coach Jason Gillespie while addressing uncertainty about his future with the team.
"This is not my decision, but Jason Gillespie is still our red-ball coach. I’m not sure what's happening behind the scenes."
Looking ahead to the series against Zimbabwe, Rizwan hinted at more opportunities for emerging talent and highlighted the importance of game awareness. "We lack awareness of the game, and we're working to bring that in," he said.
With matches against South Africa and Zimbabwe on the horizon, he also expressed confidence in the team’s ability to bounce back. “We’re doing everything we can to rise above the difficulties and perform well,” he concluded.
It is worth noting that after completion of the white-ball series against Australia, Pakistan will head towards Zimbabwe for a scheduled three-match ODI and three-match T20I series.
Pakistan ODI Squad for Zimbabwe tour: 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
Pakistan T20I Squad Zimbabwe tour: 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
Zimbabwe ODI Squad: Craig Ervine (captain), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Joylord Gumbie, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brandon Mavuta, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams
Zimbabwe T20I Squad: Sikandar Raza (captain), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava
Pakistan to Zimbabwe (three ODIs, three T20Is)